Fighter
by waterrockz
Summary: High school is rough, especially when you want to kiss & beat up the same guy. Katara is a 16 year old fighter who is running from a dark past. She thinks she has everything under control until he walks in. Zuko is the guy every girl wants but is that all he is? Zuko gets knocked off his feet. Can these two overcome their pasts and learn to love? Or will they both drown?
1. Chapter 1

Fighter

By: Waterrockz

I do not own any of the characters or Avatar the Last Airbender.

This fanfic is rated M for a reason, there will be language & mild sexual reference in this chapter.

This fanfic is in modern time, but the characters still have their bending abilities and the nations they come from (fire, water, air, & earth). In America there are all types of nations, countries in colder climate (Antarctica, Greenland, Iceland, & Canada) have more water tribes, countries in hotter climate (South America, Australia, & Africa) have more fire nations, any land masses (Russia & Asia) have earth kingdoms, and all of Europe is where the air nomads are.

The teenage boy (17yr) is based off this drawing made by Asherluck…

Modern Sokka by asherluck on deviantART

Zuko's (17yr) clothing is based off this drawing made by Asherluck…

Modern Zuko by asherluck on deviantART

Aang's (14yr) clothing is based off this drawing made by Asherluck…

Modern Aang by asherluck on deviantART

Blind girl's (14yr) clothing is based off this drawing made by Asherluck…

Modern Toph by asherluck on deviantART

Jet's (17yr) clothing is based off this drawing made by Sylvacoer…

Freedom Fighter Brand by sylvacoer on deviantART

The door slammed shut as a teenage girl threw her bag on the floor next to the navy blue couch. The girl sat on the couch and turn on the TV, switching channels until she saw a show that got her eye. This had become her schedule when she got home from practice. She like playing basketball, but her true love was soccer. She was stubborn, head-strong, brave, smart, and spoke her mind and that got her in trouble. Her older brother insisted to their parents when they were younger that it was because of her dark skin, hair, and eye color that got her in trouble. The two siblings had a deal, she would do his homework and he wouldn't tell their parents that she did soccer. Soccer was forbidden for some reason, but that just made her seem to do it more. Her father trained her in basketball after a year of fighting about it. Their father soon realized that his daughter wasn't the skirt wearing type, but an athlete, bender, and tomboy. After an accident happen in Japan, the family moved to New York to stay with relatives. The teenage girl's mother was Japanese and her father was American.

The door opened and shut when a teenage boy came in. He tossed his bag by the staircase and headed towards the kitchen. Their house wasn't big, but it wasn't small by any means. The house had two levels and a basement. The basement (which had a shower and toilet) was the teenage boy's bedroom. No one had fought over the room with him because it had no windows and smelled. On the main floor were a living room, a kitchen, a dining room, and a den area that was an office. The living room had a TV, two couches, a recliner, and family pictures that were hung all over the room. The living room walls were painted in an ocean blue color, just like the teenage girl's eyes. Her eyes were an ocean blue and when she got angry, her eyes would grow a faint darker blue. The kitchen was done in dark blue and navy. There was a huge window above the sink that had a view of the mountain range. The house was always stocked up on food, whether it is homemade or not. However, the dining room was never used. It was the perfect place for dust to collect. It made no sense for only one or two people to eat at the table, therefore, most of the time meals were eaten in the kitchen or the living room. The fact that their father was a cop and worked twenty-four seven, didn't help the situation.

Upstairs were 3 bedrooms and a bathroom. The bathroom was done in Japanese to honor where they came from. Above the mirror hangs a sign that reads, "neba-gibuappu" means "never give up". Their mother always told them this when they were growing up. The teenage girl made the sign without their father knowing because he didn't want to remember anything about her. He never used that bathroom, only the one in his room. The room next to the bathroom was for their grandmother, who has been living with them for years. Their grandmother's room was done in a pale blue almost white, color. The next room by their grandmother's belonged to the teenage girl. The room was done in a turquoise color, but you couldn't tell that because the walls were covered in posters. With one glance at this room, most people would mistake it for the teenage boy's room instead of his sister's room. The posters consisted of soccer, basketball, draggers, and all types of bending. Even though the girl was a waterbender, she always felt the need to study earth, air, and fire bending. In a corner of the room was a bed which had junk on it, mainly books and magazines about soccer, basketball, and bending. There was a TV in another corner, which had an X-box 360, Wii, and Playstation 3 coming off of it. The TV also had a DVD and VHS player and next to the TV was a trunk which contained 35 DVDs and 21 VHS tapes. By the bed was a desk made out of oak that her grandmother gave her. On the desk was a lamp, a lap top, pictures of soccer & basketball players, and empty pop cans. Next to the lap top was a stereo system, which was always being played. By the door was a dresser made out of maple, which her grandmother gave her as a present for her 13th birthday. The dresser was never used though, clothes were scattered on the floor. Down the hall was their father's room, which was hard to describe because no one was allowed in his room. That didn't brother the teenagers because they really didn't care.

The teenage boy sat down next to his sister and tossed her a Mountain Dew, while opening his own. Both teenagers had secrets from their father and grandmother, but none from each other. Their father had forced both kids into a sport, the boy was thrown into soccer and the girl was thrown into basketball. Both were great at the sport they did, but they didn't love that sport. The boy truly loved basketball and the girl truly loved soccer.

"You do know that…sum…summer is almost over," said the boy to is sister. They had both dreaded the day school started. The girl had dropped out of school before she hit 7th grade and her brother had kept it a secret for 3 years, until their grandmother found out the truth. She went to pick the girl up from middle school early for her birthday, but when she got to the school she found out that the girl had never had attend the school. When she confronted the teenagers, she was told the truth. The teenage girl did underground fighting to help support the family when their father decided to spend his paychecks on hookers and beer. Her underground name was Dark Angel because at a glance you would think that she was an angel, but once you got to know her, you would be totally shocked. She would knockout every person that confronted her in the ring. However, when you start underground fighting you can't leave, so the girl gave up school. But she didn't tell the whole truth to the men who ran the fighting club. Instead she told them what they wanted to hear, that she loved to fight and wanted to keep doing it. When their grandmother went to the underground fighting club with both teenagers, the men who ran the club were upset that the girl wasn't honest with them and the fact that they were about to lose their star fighter but they agreed to let the girl go, on one condition though. The condition was that if they need someone to train other fighters, the girl would be the trainer. She had spent her whole summer training rookie fighters, but hated it because she knew that she could never be in the ring again. Their grandmother dropped both kids off in front of the school and as soon as she left their sight, the girl left and went to the underground fighting club. After she was done training, she went to the park and play basketball with older guys. At first they looked down on her because she was a girl playing a guys sport, but they soon realize how wrong they were when they had her play with them. Ever since that day the guys treated her like one of them and they always met in the park to play basketball. But the girl like going there to hang out with a guy named Kuzan. He treated her like an equal and she loved it. He never went easy on her and when she was having a bad day, he would always push harder. By the time she would get to the park, her brother would be there and ready to play with them. When a couple of hours passed, he would leave to go to his soccer practice. But this year would be very different from the past 3 years because she promised her grandmother that she would start attending school. She wanted so badly just to go outside and play soccer all day, but she made a promise and she would honor that. Their mother had taught the teenagers about promises and the girl would never break a promise. Their father didn't believe what their mother taught and he always broke his promises and the girl hated this, but said nothing. Her brother and grandmother knew this and only made her make promises on rare occasions.

Her brother got up from the couch and shot his empty pop can into the garbage can and headed to his room. Everyone knew what he did when he got down there because he did the same thing every time. He would take his shirt off, throw it in the dirty clothes basket, crank his stereo system up & play, 'Lip's of An Angel', turn on his lap top, go to his Myspace page, and stay up until 1 in the morning talking to his friends. The girl rolled her eyes and looked at the clock, which read 10:01pm. She pulled herself off the couch and tossed the pop can in the garbage can, while heading towards the stairs. When she passed the door to their grandmother's room she paused and pressed her head against the door. There was no noise, not even the sound of her show, ER. Then, very quietly, she crept down the hall passed her room towards their father's room. When they were younger, both would eavesdrop on their father and their grandmother's conversation. She put her head against the door and listened, a bit surprise that her father was home at this hour.

"You are being way to hard are those kids, Hakoda!" yelled her grandmother. The girl sighed because she knew this fight all to well. They were fighting over them, which wasn't a big surprise. The girl hated her father because he had blamed the accident that changed their lives, on her. Her grandmother had told her that deep down in his heart, he knew that it isn't the truth. But it was so hard for her to believe what her grandmother told her because the fight that occurred between father and daughter play back in her mind. Her father had said so many mean and terrible things to her like slut, bitch, and asshole. She tried to listen carefully because they had lower there voices, knowing that the teenagers were downstairs.

"I can treat _my_ children anyway I want because they are _my_ children," growled her father. The way he said '_my_' had sent shivers down her spine and not in a good way. She wanted to break down the door and give her father a good beating, but she knew better than that. She turned away from the door and walked towards her room. She opened the door and slammed it close loud enough for her father and grandmother to hear. She ripped off her shirt, to revile a blue sports bra, and threw the shirt towards the dirty clothes basket. She took her rich brown hair out of the braid and put it in a ponytail. After she had cleared her bed of the junk, she went to the window and made sure that it was locked. She did this every night before she went to bed; it had to do with her past. She fell on her bed and when she heard footsteps down the hall she turn towards the wall and grabbed the comforter and wrapped it around herself. The door open and light flooded in from the hall. She could it was her grandmother because her father wouldn't have been so quiet and cautious.

"I'm…I am…sorry," said her grandmother as she closed the door ever so softly. Any other person would've fought back the urge to cry after hearing this, but the girl didn't. She had no more tears to give. With hearing the door closed, the girl fall asleep.

The girl woke up to the sound of the front door slamming shut. She was the only light sleeper in the family and she hated it. She turned over and looked at her stereo system, which had a clock, and gasped. It was 7am and both teenagers had to leave the house in 30 minutes. She had over-slept for once in her life. The girl usually got up at 4am to run 15 miles before she went to the underground fighting club. However, she knew last night that she wouldn't be running this morning because it was the first day of school and her grandmother would have her head if she was late. For her to get ready quickly wouldn't be a problem, but it would be a problem for her grandmother. Their grandmother had always insisted that she drive them to school and she drove 10mph under the speed limit. The girl got out of bed and headed towards the bathroom. Once she got out of the shower, she headed towards her room, only with a towel rapped around her body. Since the girl was a waterbender, she was completely dry and didn't have to worry about getting her clothes wet. She went through the clothes on the floor looking for something clean. After moving a pair on running shoes, she found a pair of jeans and a shirt. She threw on the clothes and put her elbow length hair in a single braid, leaving two pieces out because it was her 'signature' as the boys put it. She grabbed her bag, dumped its contents on the floor and stuffed a pair of basketball shorts, soccer shorts, a baby blue t-shirt, a pair of basketball shoes, a pair of soccer shoes, and $20 in it. She grabbed the bag and headed to the kitchen. Going down the stairs she could smell fresh baked bread and bacon. Before going into the kitchen, she tossed her bag on the couch. When she walked into the kitchen she saw her grandmother stirring a batter and she turned around with a smile on her face.

"Good morning Katara," said Katara's grandmother. Her smile turned into a frown as she looked at what Katara wore.

"I can't believe you are going to wear that to school," said Katara's grandmother as she put her spoon down and looked over Katara again. Katara looked down at herself and found nothing wrong with what she was wearing. Katara wore light blue jeans, which had holes where the knees were, and a navy sleeveless shirt, which had a picture of a soccer ball on the back and the words 'Back Off' in white lettering in the front. Her shoes were black and she wore white ankle socks. Her hands were covered by blue 'skater gloves' (the gloves that have no fingers). Katara had no idea what was wrong with the way she looked.

"Leave her alone grandmother. She won't change her ways," said the 17 year old boy as he came into the kitchen with a sly smile on his face. Her brother knew her all too well and she was fine with it because she knew him all too well.

"Whatever. I give up on you two, Katara and Sokka," said their grandmother as she went back to baking. Katara glanced over at her brother and saw what he was wearing. Sokka was wearing his brown sneakers and his brown jeans, which had hole on the right knee and a hole on the left thigh. He also wore a grey shirt, which had sleeves elbow length long and the sleeves were in navy blue. The color of the sleeves matched the color of his eyes. On his right wrist he wore his watch that had a brown band and on his other wrist was a wristband, which had a blue stripe and a white stripe.

Sokka smirked as he walked towards his sister and said, "You checking your own brother out, there sis!" Katara started laughing and Sokka join her after he reached into his pocket. He pulled out a set of car keys and headed towards the door. Katara ran to the living room and grabbed her bag and followed her brother out the door. In the drive way has a dark blue sports car that their grandmother gave Sokka when he turned 16. Katara slid into the passenger seat as her brother slid into the driver's seat. He turned on the car and started backing out of the driveway. The clock in the car read 7:20am and Katara knew that school started at 8am. The school was about a 25 minute drive and that would put them at school around 7:45am. Katara like math and it came easy to her, not like her brother though who struggle with math. Katara was about to turn on the radio on when Sokka beat her to it. He turned it do a CD on cranked the volume up as the song, 'Lip's of An Angel', came on. Katara truly didn't mind the song because she was use to hearing it all the time. When they reach the school, Sokka pulled into a parking space by a black Hummer and a red Ford Mustang.

Katara was about to get out of the car until Sokka stopped her. He looked her right in the eyes and said, "There are some people here who...don't like new students coming in. In other words Katara, don't go and start fights. Grandmother had to pull some strings with the principal to get you in. Only specific students are allowed to come here, Katara. Students are here because of the ability to bend, do athletics, or their brains." Sokka let her go and got out of the car. Once both siblings were out of the car, Sokka locked it and walked over to Katara. "One more thing Katara, don't make any enemies in this school. If any boy gives you trouble, tell me so I can kick his…"

"Do you honesty think I am going to let some rich, stuck-up snob, walk on me? Come on, you know me better than that," said Katara with a frown on her face. She saw his face go serious and then sad. She knew that he was just trying to protect her. Katara punch him in the arm and smiled. Sokka laughed and punch her shoulder.

Katara was about to hit him again, when a voice stop her, "Hey, Sokka! Who is tramp? Won't Suki get mad that you are hanging out with a tramp instead of her," Katara turned around to see a group a guys walking towards them. The leader of the group was junior (you can tell by the way he walked). He wore red, black, and white shoes and pale brown pants. The guy also wore a white under shirt, which came down midway to his wrists and a blood red, black striped hooded sweatshirt, which had sleeves that came to his elbows. He also wore the same gloves Katara wore, but they were black. However the thing that stood out the most to Katara was a scar, from a burn, covering his right eye. His eyes were a golden color and Katara knew he was from the fire nation.

Before Katara could say anything to the jerk, Sokka walked towards him and gave him a pound-dog (ok, it's cheesy! Leave me alone, it's what the cool kids do in this story). "That tramp is my sister, Zuko and I wouldn't call her a tramp if I were you," said Sokka with a smirk on his face. Sokka looked back at Katara and begged with his eyes not to do anything stupid. Zuko's eyes got big and so did everyone else's eyes in the group. Apparently, no one knew that Sokka had a sister.

Before anyone got to say anything, a guy came walking up from the parking lot and looked at Katara. "Hey, Katara!" said a junior as he walked towards Katara. He wore black pants, which had holes on the knees. He also wore red sneakers, which had black shoe strings and white lettering on the side. His red shirt had a basketball on the back and had the word 'You Play?' written in black lettering on the front of the shirt. He walked right up to Katara and gave her a pound-dog (all kids did this to their friends).

"Hey, Kuzan!" said Katara with a smile on her face. Katara knew that her brother would be asking a ton of questions when they got home about him. Katara and Kuzan started talking about basketball when the jerk, Zuko stepped in.

"Kuzan, you know this tramp…I mean Sokka's sister," Zuko said with a frown on his face. He tried to cover up the fact that he just called Katara a tramp again. Kuzan looked at Zuko with wide eyes and then with a frown on his face. The thing that Katara didn't know was the fact that Kuzan had a crush on her. Kuzan didn't like the fact that Zuko got away with calling Katara a tramp in front of Sokka, her own brother.

"Of course I know her, dude. She plays basketball with me after school at the park. And I am surprised that she hasn't gone over and kicked your ass for calling her a tramp. She doesn't take any crap from the guys in the park," Kuzan said with a smile on his face as he looked straight into Zuko's eyes.

Zuko was about to respond, but Katara piped in, "He's not worth it Kuzan." Katara looked at her brother then at Zuko with a smirk on her face. "Besides, I can beat his ass in basketball and soccer at anytime," said Katara as she turned to face Kuzan. Kuzan's face went pale as Katara said soccer. He had never seen her play soccer before, but guessed she had to be good for she had the guts to stand up against Zuko. Kuzan knew that Katara's brother Sokka played soccer and was good at it, but had no idea that Katara played.

"I suggest that you watch your step freshmen," growled Zuko as he took a step towards Katara.

"I guess it's a good thing that I am a sophomore," said Katara with a smirk on her face. Everyone around them could tell that they were both leaders and didn't have a problem with beating each other up. It took all Katara's strength not to beat the shit out of Zuko, but she would be fine as long as she didn't come across him again.

The bell rang and the students headed towards the school. Katara walked behind the group to see what impact they had on other students. A path was cleared as soon as the group walked in. Apparently no one wanted trouble with them. Katara was still shocked over the fact that Sokka belong to this gang and he didn't say one word when Zuko called her a tramp. Katara could feel her blood boiling and tried to calm herself down. She had memorized her schedule and knew where to go, not like most of the students around here who were completely lost. Katara snaked her way through the halls until she came to room 123. Katara was about to go in when she felt someone bump against her and fall. Katara spun around to see a teenage boy on the floor. He looked like he was a freshmen and Katara offered her hand and the boy took it.

"Thanks so much. This must be room 123, I guess" said the boy as he picked on his books. Katara could tell that he wasn't a rich snob like most people in the school. Katara bent down and picked up one of his books. She headed the book to him when she noticed his eyes. The boy had grey eyes, meaning he came from the air nomads. He was wearing brown and orange sneakers with whiter tube socks, which had two orange stripes on the top. He also wore brown striped shorts with a black belt, which the belt buckle had a blue arrow on it. His golden yellow sweatshirt was covered by a brown coat, which had two blue stripes across the front. He also wore a brown beanie that had a blue arrow on it.

"You are from the air nomads," said Katara was she headed him his book. The boy smiled and looked away. Katara could see a blush on his cheeks.

"Yeah, I just moved here. My name is Aang," said Aang as he looked back at Katara. Aang looked so innocent, but there was a hint of something else that Katara couldn't put her finger on.

"You are a basketball player!" Katara said as she smiled. She remembered seeing Aang at the park one day when she was playing with Kuzan.

"Yeah, I play basketball and soccer. But my grandfather says school comes before any sport," said Aang with a hint of sadness in his eyes. Katara understood, Aang wasn't allowed to play basketball or soccer if his grades weren't good.

"Come on, lets get inside before we get marked late," said Katara as she opened the door to the classroom. When they walked in they saw everyone was standing around the outside of the room and not in desks. Katara was about to put her stuff down when someone from behind her grabbed her arm.

Katara spun around to see a girl holding her arm. "I wouldn't put your stuff down by a desk if I were you, Mr. Bumi likes to give a seating chart out before we sit down," said the girl as she looked towards in window. The girl released her hold on Katara's arm, which Katara thought was a pretty strong grip. The girl wore black & white checkered shoes, black leg warmers with a black & yellow checkered skirt over the leg warmers. The girl also wore a green shirt with a white hooded sweatshirt over it. She also wore a silver gemmed belt and a green hat. Katara noticed that her bangs were died yellow, which stood out because she had black hair. But the one thing that stood out to Katara was her eye color, a pale grey. The girl was blind! Before Katara got to ask the girl any questions, a loud voice silence the class. Katara looked to the front of the class to see the teacher. The bell rang and the teacher gave the students their seats. Katara was in the second row, Aang was sitting in the front row on the opposite side as Katara, and the girl who grabbed Katara's arm, was sitting next to him.

The door suddenly slammed opened and shut as a student came in. To Katara's luck it was Zuko. "I am assuming that you have a good reason on why you are late to my class, Zuko" said Mr. Bumi as he glared at Zuko.

"Like I really care what you think," said Zuko with a smirk as he went to sit by his gang.

But before he got there Mr. Bumi stopped him with his voice, "Your seat Zuko, is right next to Miss Katara." Katara couldn't believe that she was stuck with that jerk next to her. When Zuko sat down next to her, he shot her a glare. Katara shot one back and if looks could kill, Zuko would be dead. Zuko's eyes widened a bit and he turned his head back to the front of the class. Mr. Bumi gave the students an introduction of chemistry. There was 5 minutes left of class and Mr. Bumi gave the class the rest of the time to talk.

Zuko turned his head back towards Katara and glared at her. "If you've got a problem with me then just say it, Scarface," growled Katara as she stood up. Zuko stood up quick and walked right up to her face. The other students saw this and moved back if a fight broke out.

"What did you call me bitch," Zuko growled as he looked down at Katara. Zuko had a good 6 inches on Katara, but Katara didn't back down for a second.

"I called you Scarface. It's called payback for calling me a tramp," Katara said with a smirk on her face. The other students around them got wide eyed as they heard Katara. Everyone knew better to call Zuko scarface, let alone stand up against him. Zuko turned his back and all of a sudden turn back around and punched Katara in the mouth. Katara took several steps back, out of shocked. Katara brought her hand up to her mouth and wiped off the blood and frowned. The students started yelling fight out in the hall and more students came in to watch the new student and Zuko fight. Zuko turned his back and started walking towards the door. Zuko thought it was over, but he was wrong. Katara ran up behind him and yelled his name. Zuko turned around and Katara punch him in his good eye. Katara kept throwing punches and every punch hit Zuko straight on. Sokka came in and grabbed Katara around her waist and pulled her off Zuko. Zuko's gang grabbed him and pulled him away from Katara.

A teacher ran in between the two bloody teenagers and yelled, "This fight is over! Everyone back to their class! You two, Zuko and Miss…"

"Katara," said Katara as she glared at Zuko. Sokka was having the hardest time holding Katara back. Sokka knew better to let his guard or grip on Katara down. Sokka had seen a couple of fights that Katara was in, in the underground fighting club and knew that she could beat the crap out of Zuko. Sokka had made sure that Katara didn't know that he watched her fights.

"Both of you are coming with me," said the teacher as he walked closer to Katara. "Zuko, you will walk ahead of me and Katara will walk behind me with her brother," said the teacher as he pushed Zuko forward. They walked through the halls and the students were whispering about the fight. There were a lot of whistles made to Katara from guys as she walked behind the teacher. Sokka walked right beside her in case she decided to make a move on Zuko. He looked ahead and saw the Zuko was walking slowly and had a limp. Katara had done a nice job on him, but she wasn't finished. Katara had gotten all the punches in, except for the one that Zuko through in the beginning. However, that one punch had made Katara's mouth bleed and it was still bleeding. Sokka smirked to himself as he looked over Zuko and Katara. Katara had let her guard down because Sokka told her that fights never happened at this school. Sokka felt a little guilty because he didn't do anything when Zuko called his sister a tramp. They walked into the office and the teacher told them to have a seat and wait. There was another student in the office and he came over to Zuko.

"Damn, Zuko! What guy beat you up? I know that it wasn't Sokka over there," said the teenage boy looking at Zuko. Katara looked the boy over and knew that he was a player and heart breaker. The guy wore black pants and black sneakers, which had white writing on them. He also wore a white dress-up shirt that showed a lot of his chest. Katara didn't mind seeing a nice body now and then, but the fact that he was a player and Zuko's friend turned her way off. The fact that he had a toothpick in his mouth made Katara laugh inside. He truly looked stupid having the toothpick in his mouth. He was just another guy who wanted in hot girl's pants.

"I don't want to talk about," growled Zuko as he looked at Katara then Sokka. Zuko was telling them to keep their mouths shut. Jet's eyes followed Zuko's and they landed on Katara.

"Hey there sexy, my name is Jet," Jet said as he walked over to Katara with a smirk on his face. Katara wasn't in the mood to get hit on and was about to punch him, when she thought about her grandmother. Her grandmother had pulled strings to get her into this school and now she was about to get in another fight. Katara relaxed back in her chair and stared at Jet with a smirk on her face.

"If you know what's good for you, Jet, I suggest you walk away and leave me alone," Katara said with a hint of seduction in her voice. She wanted to sound nice and sweet, so when he made a move on her she could 'defend' herself. Jet walked closer and knelt in front of Katara.

"Now why would I leave a sexy girl like you here, when I can take you home with me for the night?" Jet said with his charming voice. Katara could tell that he had said that line plenty of times before.

"Because if you don't leave me alone, you will end up just like your friend Zuko over there," Katara said with a smirk on her face. "So I suggest that you don't ever hit on me again, Jet." Katara added with a sly smile on her lips. The teacher walked out with an older man, the principal.

"Zuko, my office now!" said the principal with a frown on his face. Zuko walked with the principal and disappeared through a door. Jet left quickly not looking at Katara or Sokka.

"You know that you didn't have to scare him that bad," Sokka said with a giggle. Katara and Sokka started laughing.


	2. Chapter 2

Fighter

By: Waterrockz

I do not own any of the characters or Avatar the Last Airbender.

This fanfic is rated M for a reason, there will be language & mild sexual references in this chapter.

If you see any of the following letters, F S J, it means grade level. No one is a senior.

I'm not doing last names, if you haven't guess, yet.

This fanfic is in modern time, but the characters still have their bending abilities and the nations they come from (fire, water, air, & earth). In America there are all types of nations, countries in colder climate (Antarctica, Greenland, Iceland, & Canada) have more water tribes, countries in hotter climate (South America, Australia, & Africa) have more fire nations, any land masses (Russia & Asia) have earth kingdoms, and all of Europe is where the air nomads are.

Azula (15yr) is based off this drawing by KitsuK8…

Modern Azula by kitsuK8 on deviantART

**Previous:**

"Zuko, my office now!" said the principal with a frown on his face. Zuko walked with the principal and disappeared through a door. Jet left quickly not looking at Katara or Sokka.

"You know that you didn't have to scare him that bad," Sokka said with a giggle. Katara and Sokka started laughing.

**Now:**

Katara and Sokka sat in the office for an hour, bored out of their minds until a teenage girl walked in and sat across from them. Katara could swear that there was something familiar about her. The girl wore black sneakers and dark blue jeans with a red belt. She also wore a white t-shirt with the fire nation symbol on the back and on both sleeves. Her jet-black hair was put back in a ponytail with two pieces of hair on the side of her face. Her golden eyes stood out and look familiar to Katara. Katara glanced at her brother to see his face go pale.

The girl looked Katara over and smirked. "So this is the famous girl who beat up Zuko," snorted the girl. Katara got the feeling that this girl knew Zuko.

"My name is Azula by the way. You must be Sokka's sister…" Azula said as she trailed off waiting for Katara to say her name.

"Katara," said Katara as she watched Azula closely. Azula's eyebrows went up and her eyes widened for a bit. Katara had the feeling that she saw Azula before. Then it hit her, Azula knew her from the underground fighting.

"So how do you feel not being in the ring, Dark Angel?" Azula said with a smirk on her face. Katara was already pissed off and that statement over did it. Katara jumped out of her seat and ran towards Azula. However Sokka saw this and went in front of his sister to stop her.

"She's not worth it, Katara!" Sokka said to his sister hoping to stop her.

"You are lucky that your father is who he is or…" said the principal as he walked out of his office with Zuko. Katara stopped and glared at Zuko, remembering what he had done to her. Katara looked him over and smirked to herself as she saw the wounds she gave him. He had a limp in his right leg, a black eye, bloody mouth, and his nose & 3 ribs were broken. He would also have bruises for a good 3 months on his arms and chest. Katara didn't feel sorry for him, but for the person who had to clean him up.

The principal looked at Katara, Sokka, and Azula. He turned towards Katara and said, "My office now, Miss Katara." Katara glared back at Azula and followed the man to his office. Katara sat down in a chair when she got into his office. She peered over at his desk to see files with pictures on them. There were 23 files with the names Mai, Tylee, Azula, Smellerbee, Jun, Song, Jin, Meng, Toph, Suki, Yue, Aang, Hahn, Haru, Jet, Teo, Zuko, Longshot, Duke, Chan, Pipsqueak, and Kuzan. However the two names that stood out to Katara were her brothers and hers. On his desk was a name plate that read Roku.

The principal sat down in a door across from a table that separated Katara and him. Before he could talk, the phone rang. He picked the phone up and started mumbling words. He hung up the phone and looked right at Katara and said, "Do no leave this room. I will be right back. I won't be longer than 15 minutes."

Katara watched the principal leave the room and she turned her attention towards the files. Her curiosity got the better of her when she saw the files. Katara looked back at the door and ran over to the files. There was a file with no name or picture on it, so Katara decide to look at that one first. She opened the file to see a list of names, dates, places, times, & ratings. The top of the paper read "Top Basketball & Soccer Players". Katara's eyebrows went up after reading this. She laid down the file and picked up a file which had Sokka's name on it.

On the cover of the file was a picture of Sokka from a year ago. Katara opened the file to see stats and notes. The file contained his schedule, game stats for soccer & basketball, dates, places, & times of important games, and ratings from 8 different people. Katara went through all of the files quickly and saw that they all contained the same type of information. There was one thing that Katara's brother doesn't know about her, Katara had photographic memory.

Katara quickly closed the files and sat back down in her chair as the door opened to reveal the principal. "Miss Katara, is it? I was quite surprised to see Zuko's condition and your condition," said the principal as he sat in his chair.

"That jackass got what was coming! He had no right calling me a bitch or tramp. There is no way that I am apologizing for what I did!" Katara said as she stood up with her fist balled up together. Katara was pissed and in no mood to forgive.

"Did I ever say anything about apologizing?" said the principal with a smirk on his face. Katara sat back down slowly and eyed the principal. There was no way that she was getting out of there without getting punished.

"What are you saying?" Katara questioned as she looked right into his eyes. The principal leaned back in his chair and started chuckling. He looked right at Katara's eyes as he threw the files that were on his desk towards Katara. The files landed in front of Katara and she kept looking into his eyes.

"The teachers here aren't very fond of Zuko and neither am I, but that's beside the point. We can't do anything to him or we will lose our jobs. However you can, Katara. I want you to go out for your basketball and soccer teams. That way you can beat Zuko at his own game. I know about your past in underground fighting and that information might leak out to your father if you don't fully cooperate. There will be 12 females and 12 males trying out for both sports. The teams are already picked and are divided by sex. You will be a swing player for the teams. Practice starts today after school at 2:15pm." said Roku as he looked at Katara.

"Zuko and his sister, Azula have been running this school for years now. I want it to come to an end this year. I am going to give you these files, which contain information about very player on both teams. You have until lunch to read them, after that you never see them again. Do I make myself clear?" Roku said as he leaned forward towards Katara. Katara looked into his eyes with anger. She didn't like the idea of being a rat or being close to Zuko. The principal didn't even wait for her response and left the room.

Katara started opening random files, quickly flipping through the pages. She slowed down when she came across Zuko's file (17yr & J). Katara opened his file and frowned when she saw his schedule. Her schedule was 1st-Chemisty, 2nd-Calculus, 3rd- English, 4th-AP Government, 5th-Japanese, and 6th-Bending. Zuko's schedule looked similar, 1st-Chemisty, 2nd-English, 3rd-Calculus, 4th-AP Government, 5th-Japanese, and 6th-Bending. Katara flipped to the next page and read. His father's name is Ozai, who is 36 years old and his sister's name is Azula, who is 15 years old. Apparently, his mother had been killed in a car accident when he was 9 years old. The mother name's was Ursa and she was only 26 years old at the time of her death. Zuko is a master firebender and skilled with swords. His family is rich and his father runs a company by the docks. They lived in 'Rolling Hills' which was only filled by rich people. Zuko is struggling with his math, chemistry, and Japanese grades. She flipped through the next few pages, which contain mostly information about soccer and basketball. During most soccer games, Zuko had a 97 rate of making goals and during basketball games; he had a 96 rate of making hoops. Katara smirked a little because she had a rate of 99 for both sports. She closed his file and picked up the next file, which read Azula.

Katara flipped through Azula's file (15yr & S) quickly because it held the most of same information. Her schedule was 1st-English, 2nd-History, 3rd-Spanish, 4th-Chemistry, 5th-Algebra II, and 6th-Bending. Azula had two friends who would do anything for her, Mai and Tylee. Both Azula and Zuko were from the Fire Nation and had the same golden eyes. Azula was a master firebender and had master the blue flame. Both siblings knew combat and martial arts. Azula and Zuko had mastered the Northern Shaolin, a type of martial art that dealt with firebending. [Northern Shaolin is an external style based on extending the body and long, aggressive techniques that explode and drive through the opponent. Northern Shaolin dates back to the year 527, and is the origin of many martial arts. Many of Shaolin's movements come from nature, utilizing the behaviors of various animals and the five Chinese elements, wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. Shaolin teaches students use their energy to penetrate their opponents, sending it forward for thousands of miles. Northern Shaolin fits the art of firebending because, like fire, it is aggressive, expanding, and extravagant. Azula had a 97 rate of making goals and a 96 rate of making hoops. Katara put Azula's file down and picked up another file, which had Jet's name on top.

Jet (17yr & J) apparently had a long record of sleeping with women. He had slept with every girl in the school besides 3 girls, Azula, Katara, and Toph. Jet had sweet talked his way into being an office aid during 1st period. His schedule was 2nd-History, 3rd-Weapons, 4th-Chemistry, 5th-Japanese, and 6th-English. Surprising, Jet had good grades and did great in Weapons. He was a master with swords and many students look up to him. His four pals are Smellerbee, Longshot, Duke, and Pipsqueak was always by his side. Jet was born of the Earth Kingdom and had moved in with Kuzan when he was 10 years old. The file showed that his parents were killed in a train wreck when he was 10. His record showed that he had been in and out of trouble since that day. He also knew hand-to-hand combat and wasn't a bender. Jet had a 96 rate of making goals and a 94 rate of making hoops. Katara got tired of reading his file and picked up Aang's file.

Aang's file (14yr & F) was small compared to the others that she had looked at earlier. Katara flipped through his file slowly as she came across his past history. She already knew that he was from the Air Nomads by his eyes. On the top of a paper read history and the rest of the paper was blank. On the next few pages were stats on his games. Aang had a 90 rate of making goals in soccer and a 92 rate of making hoops in basketball. He was a master air bender and a freshman. Aang's airbendering is a form of Ba Gua Zhang [An internal style like Tai Chi, Ba Gua is based around the eight trigrams of the Yijing. "Ba Gua Zhang" translates into "eight trigram palm." These can refer to the eight animals which Ba Gua movements are based on; Lion, Snake, Bear, Dragon, Phoenix, Rooster, Qulin, and Monkey. Circle walking is used to train stance and movement. This teaches the practitioner how to move and change direction without pausing or losing momentum, as well as staying behind the opponent's back. The tactics used are outflanking and outmaneuvering. The inverse of Tai Chi, Ba Gua surrounds the opponent and delivers energy inward. Katara's face went to surprise as she saw this and his schedule, 1st-Chemistry, 2nd-AP Government, 3rd-English, 4th-Calculus, 5th-Japanese, and 6th-Bending. He was a freshman and his was taking sophomore and junior classes. Aang did volunteer work after school and was always caring to others. Katara smiled and picked up another file.

Katara noticed that is was the blind girl in her chemistry class, Toph (14yr & F). She was a master earth bender and could bend metal. Toph's earthbending is the form of Southern Praying Mantis [Southern Praying Mantis is a close range style that focuses the arms while keeping leg work to a minimum, using low and short range kicks. Like Hung Gar, Southern Praying Mantis originates from southern China. Practitioners strengthen the arms and keep them extended in order to reduce the recoil needed to gather energy for the next strike. This style was inspired by a mantis defeating a bird, and is apparent by the footwork that Southern Praying Mantis utilizes. Southern Praying Mantis is a unique martial art and is the basis for Toph's unique style of earthbending. By looking over what the comments people wrote, Katara and Toph were a lot alike. Apparently the bending teacher, Pakku wrote on the paper that Toph could 'see' with her feet. Her schedule was 1st-Chemistry, 2nd-AP Government, 3rd-English, 4th-Japanese, 5th-Caluclus, and 6th-Bending. Toph had a 97 rate of making goals in soccer and a 96 rate of making hoops in basketball. Toph was just like Aang, she was a freshman also. Katara closed the file and opened another file.

The file was about one of Azula's friends, Mai (15yr & S). Her schedule was the same as Azula's, except for two periods. Mai had weapons 3rd period and Spanish 6th period. She had study the art of many weapons, draggers, knives, and arrows. Mai was an only child and grew up with Azula and Zuko. Even though Mai hadn't admitted that she like Zuko, everyone knew that Mai like Zuko. Mai's house was right next store to Azula's and Zuko's. Several notes stated that she acted Goth and only cared about her two friends, Tylee and Azula. Mai had a 94 rate of making goals and a 93 rate of making hoops. Katara got very bored with her file and picked up another file instead.

This file was about the other friend of Azula's, Tylee (15yr & S). Tylee was always happy and cheerful. She was the opposite of Mai. She had the same schedule as Azula's, except for one period. 6th period for Tylee was in Gym. Tylee was a master gymnast and was knowledgeable in chi points to inhibit bending powers. Extremely upbeat and cheerful, she tries to better herself spiritually through exercises and meditation. Her outlook on life is perpetually rosy and she manages to follow her heart to where her best interests lie with a happy attitude. She had grown up with six other sisters and has a crush on Haru. Tylee had a 94 rate of making goals and a 93 rate of making hoops. Katara put Tylee's file down and picked Haru's file next.

Haru's file (15yr & S) was easy to read. His schedule was 1st-Biology, 2nd-Algebra II, 3rd-English, 4th-History, 5th-Spanish, and 6th-Bending. Haru was a master earth bender and knew a little about hand-to-hand combat. His earthbending is the form of Hung Gar [The Earth Kingdom utilizes the Hung Gar system, a mix of the Tiger and Crane animal styles. This style uses deep, low stances, such as the hose stance, and strong hand techniques. Hung Gar is one of the more external styles, but also practices some internal movement. Emphasis is put on having firm, solid stances. The more connected to the Earth one is, the more power they will have. The Chinese character "Hung" is a family name which means "to stand firm and tall with integrity". His father was in jail for conducting a strike against Ozai's company. Haru has a 90 rate of making goals and a 91 rate of making hoops. Haru has a crush on Tylee, yet both don't know that the other likes them.

Katara picked up another file that read, Smellerbee (14yr & F). Smellerbee hangs out with Jet, Pipsqueak, Duke, and Longshot. She grew up on the street until she was 10 years old, when a couple took her in. Smellerbee is always getting in and out of trouble and has a secret crush on Longshot. Her schedule is 1st-Spanish, 2nd-Biology, 3rd-Weapons, 4th-English, 5th-Algebra I, and 6th-History. Smellerbee has a rate of 89 when making goals and has a rate of 87 when making hoops. She knows hand-to-hand combat and is skilled with blades.

Katara was getting bored fast, but looked over to see a file on Kuzan (17yr & J). Katara went through the file and found interesting facts about him. Kuzan had lost his baby sister, who was 2 years younger to a fire. He use to play baseball, to please his mother, but gave it up to play basketball and soccer. His family wanted him to succeed in school. His schedule was 1st-AP Biology, 2nd-AP Government, 3rd-Japanese, 4th-AP Calculus, 5th-English, and 6th-Bending. Kuzan was a master firebender and was skilled with blades. He had a 97 rate of making goals and a 96 of making hoops. One of his teachers last year put a side note that he had a crush on Mai.

She picked up the next file that read Suki (15yr & S). Katara remember hearing her name when she first saw Zuko and also recognized the name from Sokka's Myspace profile. When her brother wasn't home, Katara would go on the computer. Katara had hid her computer hacking skills from her family, expect for her brother. Apparently, Suki was from the Earth Kingdom and knew the art of fans. Katara's face went confused as she read that note. After going through more pages she learned that certain fans could be used as weapons. Her schedule was almost the same as Sokka's; 1st-English, 2nd-Calculus, 3rd-Weapons, 4th-AP Biology, 5th-History, and 6th- Japanese. Sokka had Spanish 2nd and Calculus 6th period. Suki had a 96 rate of making goals and a 95 rate of making hoops. Katara set the file down and picked up another that read Yue.

After reading the name, Katara knew who Yue was (16yr & J). Yue use to go out with Sokka, but he broke it up a year ago. Yue's aunt, Yugoda taught Japanese. She was from the water tribes and her family was rich. Her schedule was 1st-Chemistry, 2nd-Calculus, 3rd-Poetry, 4th-History, 5th-Japanese, and 6th-Spanish. Katara thought that it was awkward that Yue didn't take a bending or weapons class. Sokka mentioned that she knew waterbending, but why was she not taking the class. Yue had a 93 rate of making goals and a 91 rate of making hoops. It also mentioned that Yue had a super huge crush on Hahn.

The next file Katara looked at was Hahn's (15yr & J). Katara could tell from the picture that Hahn was from the Water Tribes and a waterbender. Apparently like Yue, Hahn had a relative who worked at the school, Pakku. Hahn was not a master yet because his uncle, Pakku didn't push him as hard as the rest of the class. His schedule was the same as Yue's except for 1 period. Hahn had bending 6th period instead of Spanish. He had a 91 rate of making goals and a 92 rate of making hoops.

Katara picked up Longshot's (17yr & J) next and flipped through it. When he was 10 years old, Longshot had his father taken away from him. The case was still open and there had been no leads for 6 years. Katara felt a pain of sympathy deep inside of her, but quickly got rid of it. She vowed never to show any weakness or emotion that was close to sadness. His schedule was the same as Smellerbee's. Longshot was skilled in anchoring and knew hand-to-hand combat. He had an 89 rate of making goals and an 88 rate of making hoops. Katara set the file down and saw 8 files left that she hadn't looked over.

Katara started reading the file about Jun (16yr & J). Jun had lost her entire family to a mob killing when she was 9 years old and has been living with her mother's friend. Since that day, Jun turn Goth and always wore black. On rare occasions you could see red on her. Her schedule was 1st-Chemistry, 2nd-Spanish, 3rd-Weapons, 4th-English, 5th-Calculus, and 6th-AP Government. Jun had a 94 rate of making goals and a 93 rate of making hoops. On one note Katara read mention that Jun and Jet had been dating for a year until she broke it off. Jun was skilled with a whip. Katara's eyebrows went up after reading the last statement.

The file that she just picked up had Pipsqueak's (16yr & J) name on it. He hangs out with Jet, Smellerbee, Longshot, and Duke. Their little gang calls themselves the Freedom Fighters. Katara had to hold back a laugh as she read the name. His schedule was the same as Smellerbee's. He knew hand-to-hand combat and was skilled with swords. Pipsqueak had an 86 rate of making goals and an 83 of making hoops. Pipsqueak had also lost his father to a fire when he has only 9 years old. The police determined that the fire was caused by accident, but rumors were that Ozai had him killed. Katara was surprised that Pipsqueak would even hang-out with Zuko. However Katara knew that it wasn't her place to ask questions or judge.

The next file Katara opened was on Meng (14yr & F). Meng was short and most people wouldn't give her a pasting glance. Katara felt a twig of sadness for the girl, but it quickly disappeared. The girl always wanted to be the center of attention and wanted to be treated like a princess. One of her teachers wrote that she would wear a crown to school sometimes, to show off. Her schedule was 1st-Biology, 2nd-Algebra I, 3rd-Poetry, 4th-History, 5th-Spanish, and 6th-Japanese. Meng had an 86 rate of making goals and a 93 rate of making hoops. Meng knew nothing about weapons, fighting, or bending. Katara set her file down and picked another file.

The file had Chan (15yr & S) on the top, when Katara opened the file. Chan knows firebending, but has yet to master the element. He hates anyone who isn't from the Fire Nation. Chan has been suspended from school four times, for his behavior towards other students. His schedule was 1st-Chemistry, 2nd-English, 3rd-Calculus, 4th-Spanish, 5th-AP Government, and 6th-Bending. Chan had an 87 rate of making goals and an 83 rate of making hoops. Chan is like Jet, sleeps with any woman he can fine. Katara felt anger grow towards Chan, but she remember to keep a cool and level head. Katara slammed the file down and picked up another one.

Katara flipped through the pages of Jin's (15yr & S) file. Jin was born of the Earth Kingdom and loved tea. There were several notes that stated that Jin was always drinking tea and love to cook. Her schedule was 1st-Cooking, 2nd-History, 3rd-Poetry, 4th-Choir, 5th-Algebra II, and 6th-Biology. Jin was like Meng, knows nothing about fighting, weapons, or bending. Jin had an 89 rate for both soccer and basketball. Jin had two younger sisters who fight over her. Katara put her file down and picked up another file.

After going through the first few pages of the file, Katara could tell that she was going to feel sympathy. Duke's (14yr & F) past was short, but detailed. Duke had lost both of his parents to an airplane crash when he was 9 years old. Katara couldn't help but noticed how close in age the kids who lost love ones, were. His schedule is the same as Smellerbee's. Pipsqueak took Duke in with him a few years after the death of Duke's parents. Duke knows hand-to-hand combat and is skilled with draggers. Duke had a 90 rate for both soccer and basketball.

Grabbing another file, Katara started reading. The file was about Teo, (16yr & J) a boy who is not in a wheelchair. Apparently his mother had run-off with another man when Teo was 10 years old. His schedule is 1st-History, 2nd-Biology, 3rd-Weapons, 4th-AP Government, 5th-English, and 6th-Algebra II. Teo had an 86 rate of making goals and an 85 rate of making hoops. Teo knows hand-to-hand combat and is skilled in archery. Katara looked down and saw only 2 files left.

Katara opened a file about a girl, Song (15yr & S). By reading the notes, Song was a great singer and loved the jungle. When reading her past, Katara found nothing painful and sad. Song's schedule was 1st-Environment Study, 2nd-History, 3rd Poetry, 4th-Choir, 5th-Algebra II, and 6th-Spanish. Song had an 87 rate for making goals and an 80 rate of making hoops. She knew nothing about weapons, bending, or fighting. Katara wonder what she would be like if she knew nothing about fighting, bending, or weapons. She tossed the idea out and stared down at the last file, which had Sokka's name on it.

Before Katara could open the file, the door slammed open. Roku walked in and sat down with a frown on his face. He looked right at Katara when he spoke, "It's almost 4th period." Katara peered at the clock and saw that he was right. She stood open and headed towards the door with Sokka's file under her arm.

"Where do you think you are going with that file?" Roku said in a loud voice. Katara turned around and looked confused.

"The file stays here," said Roku as he stood up from the chair. Katara tossed the file at him and walked out of the office. To her surprise, she found Sokka sitting in the same chair. He stood and walked over to her with a frown on his face.

"Why?" Sokka said with a sad face. Katara looked at him as if he were crazy.


	3. Chapter 3

Fighter

Fighter

By: Waterrockz

I do not own any of the characters or Avatar the Last Airbender.

This fanfic is rated M for a reason, there will be language & mild sexual reference in this chapter.

This fanfic is in modern time, but the characters still have their bending abilities and the nations they come from (fire, water, air, & earth). In America there are all types of nations, countries in colder climate (Antarctica, Greenland, Iceland, & Canada) have more water tribes, countries in hotter climate (South America, Australia, & Africa) have more fire nations, any land masses (Russia & Asia) have earth kingdoms, and all of Europe is where the air nomads are.

I will not go into detail on the bending in this chapter.

Yue's Clothing is based off this drawing made by MistyKat

Sokka and Yue by MistyKat on deviantART

Previous:

Before Katara could open the file, the door slammed open. Roku walked in and sat down with a frown on his face. He looked right at Katara when he spoke, "It's almost 4th period." Katara peered at the clock and saw that he was right. She stood open and headed towards the door with Sokka's file under her arm.

"Where do you think you are going with that file?" Roku said in a loud voice. Katara turned around and looked confused.

"The file stays here," said Roku as he stood up from the chair. Katara tossed the file at him and walked out of the office. To her surprise, she found Sokka sitting in the same chair. He stood and walked over to her with a frown on his face.

"Why?" Sokka said with a sad face. Katara looked at him as if he were crazy.

Now:

"What are you talking about Sokka?" questioned Katara as she took a step towards her brother.

"How could you just flirt your way out of trouble?" Sokka growled at his sister. Katara was stunned, how could her own fresh and blood think that.

Katara closed her eyes and started laughing. Sokka looked at her and Katara said, "You think I flirted my way out of trouble? What have you been taking, Sokka?" Sokka's frown turned into a sad smile. His head went to the floor in shame, thinking that his baby sister would pull that stunt.

"It's just that…well…the principal doesn't tolerate fighting in his school. Any students who are caught fighting, are suspended," Sokka said with his head still down. Katara was still trying to process that fact that her brother didn't trust her.

Before Katara could say something, the bell rang for 4th period. Katara grabbed her bag and headed to AP Government. Katara walked in and sat down in a desk that was the closest to the window. She looked around to see familiar faces, faces she just read about. Katara noticed that Teo and Zuko were in her class. Katara smirked as she saw Zuko sitting at a desk with tons students around him, trying to get the story out of him. Surprisingly, a twig a jealousy went through her body as she saw the girls throwing themselves at his feet. Katara turn her attention turns the teacher in the front of the room. When the bell rang, everyone found their desk and waited for the teacher to talk.

"Good afternoon, students. My name is Lo and I am your AP government teacher. I'm very excited about this year and can't wait to get to know you," Ms. Lo said as she wrote on the white board. She turned around and began to call role.

"Katara…oh my goodness, you my dear are only a sophomore!" Ms. Lo said as she looked up from her paper. Katara shrugged as it wasn't a big deal.

"Yeah," Katara said as she looked at the teacher. Ms. Lo just looked Katara over with one glance and went back to role. Students around Katara started whispering about her age and how she got in this class. She tried her best not to smirk, but their lack of knowledge was too much.

"Hi, I am Teo," the boy by Katara said as he reached out with his hand. Katara couldn't help but smirk on the inside. Katara reached forward and shook his hand and smiled.

"Hey Teo, I guess I don't have to introduce myself," Katara said with a sly smile on her face. Teo chuckled a bit and gave Katara a smile.

"Out of curiosity, how did you get into AP Government?" Teo said with curiosity in his voice. Katara knew that question was coming and was a bit mad. Why did everyone need to know how she got in classes?!

"I suppose that the teachers looked over my grades and decided to place me in a class that would challenge me," Katara said, knowing that it wasn't the answer he wanted to hear. Teo laughed and leaned back in his chair.

"You know, not much girls have guts like yours. Most girls would go on and on about how smart they are. You, Katara are different and I like it," Teo said with a smirk on his face. Katara held back a face of disgust as he said those words.

Fourth period went on and the bell for the next period rang at 12:10pm. Katara grabbed her bag and ahead towards Japanese class. On her way there, she pasted the senior hall and heard whispers about Zuko.

"Did you hear what happen to Zuko?"

"I heard he got beat up by some girl."

"Rumor has it that she is a tough bitch and doesn't take crap from anyone."

Katara couldn't help but smirk as she walked by the students. Katara knew that most of the school would know the case, but she was still amazed on how fast it spread. She sighed as she opened the door to room 123 to revel a very familiar face. Katara sat down in a desk closest to the door because all of the window seats were taken. Shortly after Katara sat down, several students walked in. Katara smiled at Aang as he took the seat behind Katara and pulled out his binder. A girl from the files, Yue walked in a sat down three desks away from Katara. Katara raised an eyebrow at Yue when she walked in. Yue's hair was snow white and up in a traditional water tribe style (same one as in the show). She wore pink ballerina shoes and cerulean color jeans with a light blue belt, which had pink stripes. Yue also had a shirt with blue and pink on it. The shirt's sleeves hung below her shoulders to reveal a tattoo of a water nation insignia on her shoulder. Katara growled at the two boys who came in 2 minutes after the bell rang.

"Why am I not surprised? Zuko take the seat in front of the girl in the blue sleeveless shirt. Jet, you can take the seat next to the same girl," said the female teacher as looked down at her book. Not once did her eyes leave the book since the two teenagers enter the room. Jet and Zuko took their seats with different emotions. Zuko growled at Katara and glared at the teacher, while Jet smirked at Katara. Katara rolled her eyes when she noticed that Jet was still hitting on her.

"Good afternoon, students. My name is Li and I am your Japanese teacher. You may recognize me from my twin sister, Lo," said Ms. Li as she put her book down. Katara suddenly put two and two together and laughed silently in her head. Ms. Li handed out papers and told the class that they needed to be sign by a parent or guardian, by tomorrow. Ms. Li sat back down in her desk and told all the students to keep quiet and don't disturb her. Katara looked around the room to see everybody talking or listening to their ipods. Katara shrugged while she got her ipod and put the head-phones in. Katara leaned back and listen to a song that she played when she was reminded of her mother.

Stand by: Rascal Flatts

_You feel like a candle in a hurricane  
Just like a picture with a broken frame  
Alone and helpless  
Like you've lost your fight  
But you'll be alright, you'll be alright_

Cause when push comes to shove  
You taste what you're made of  
You might bend, till you break  
Cause its all you can take  
On your knees you look up  
Decide you've had enough  
You get mad you get strong  
Wipe your hands shake it off  
Then you Stand, Then you stand  


_Life's like a novel  
With the end ripped out  
The edge of a canyon  
With only one way down  
Take what you're given before its gone  
Start holding on, keep holding on  
_

_Cause when push comes to shove  
You taste what you're made of  
You might bend, till you break  
Cause its all you can take  
On your knees you look up  
Decide you've had enough  
You get mad you get strong  
Wipe your hands shake it off  
Then you Stand, Then you stand_

Every time you get up  
And get back in the race  
One more small piece of you  
Starts to fall into place  


_Cause when push comes to shove  
You taste what you're made of  
You might bend, till you break  
Cause its all you can take  
On your knees you look up  
Decide you've had enough  
You get mad you get strong  
Wipe your hands shake it off  
Then you Stand, Then you stand_

The bell rang shortly after the song ended. Katara picked up her bag and ahead towards the gym. When walking to the gym, Katara felt eyes on her. She just ignored the stares and ahead to the girl's locker room to change. Katara quickly changed into her shorts and white t-shirt and went back out to the gym to see many faces. She noticed that Kuzan, Zuko, Azula, Aang, Toph, Haru, Hahn, and Chan were dressed down and talking.

"Quiet down! You may call Mr. Pakku and only that," said the old teacher as he walked in. Everyone settled down and took a set and the bench.

"In this class we will be doing all forms of bending. This year we will also be doing basketball and soccer in class," said Pakku as he looked every student with his eyes. Cheers roared when basketball and soccer were mention. Pakku glared at the students and they fell quiet.

"I want to see how far each your bending skills are," said Pakku as he grabbed his clipboard and head towards the door. All of the students followed Pakku to an arena (which looked like the same arena as we saw in the Blind Bandit, with two pounds on the sides of the arena). The students took seats on the benches and waited for Pakku to talk. The first person he called was Chan. Chan went to the middle of the arena and waited for directions from Pakku. Katara did her history on her teacher before school started. Apparently he knows all the backgrounds of the elements and teachers all the elements, however, he only bends water.

"Get in a stance and start bending," Pakku said as he looked up from the clipboard. Chan quickly got into stance and took deep breathes as he lit his hands (not going into detail about the performance of each character). When Chan was done, he walked over and sat down next to Azula. Katara couldn't help but smirked because she knew that he did a terrible job.

"You have much to work on," said Pakku as he took notes on the clipboard. Haru was called next and jumped up and walked to the middle. He got into stance and made towers of earth rise out of the ground. Once he was done, he sat back down and waited for Pakku to talk.

"It was a better performance than Chan's," Pakku said writing notes down. Pakku called the next victim to bend, Kuzan. Kuzan walked to the middle of the arena and started firebending. When he was down, he walked back over and at down next to Katara.

He wore a blank face as Pakku talked to him, "Not bad, but you have much to work on." The next person called up was Hahn and he walked into the middle of the arena and started waterbending. Katara could tell that he was a terrible bender and didn't feel the water within himself. All she could do was shake her head and frown. Hahn walked over, sat down, and waited to hear his grandfather speak.

"You still need a lot of work," said Pakku as he shook his head. Aang was called up next and he walked to the center with a worried face. Aang got into a stance and started to make tornado on each side of him. Katara watch with a blank face, but inside she felt excited to see an airbender. When he was done, he walked over and sat on the other side of Katara.

"Not bad, but not great," Pakku said has he took notes. Katara could tell that he was impressed with Aang's bending. Kuzan was called up after Aang. Kuzan got into a stance and made a dragon out of fire appear by his side. Katara could tell that he was a natural bender and didn't force the flow. Kuzan walked back over and sat by Toph.

"Nice touch with the dragon, but you still need work," said Pakku as he looked up from his clipboard and stared at the center on the arena. Toph was called next and walked to the center of the arena with a black face. She made the earth shake and dance around her. After she was done, Toph walked back over and sat by Aang. Katara knew that Toph was blind and a master earth bender, but no one expected that much raw power.

"It's better than Haru's performance, but not by much," Pakku said while he was taking notes. Azula was called next and everyone seemed to tense up. Azula was a powerful and deadly firebender. Katara watched Azula slide gracefully into a low stance and summon blue flames in her hands. Azula's moves were fast and long, Katara noticed. After Azula finish, she walked back with a smirk on her face.

"Blue flame…" Pakku said trailing off. Pakku called Zuko up next. Zuko slowly walked to the center and got into a stance. His moves were different from Azula's, his were hard and quick. Zuko could bring someone down in 5 hits, while Azula would use much more. Zuko walked back to the bench and sat down with a black face.

"Fire comes from the breath, not the muscles," Pakku said slowly as if he were trying to hide the comment. Katara smirked after Pakku said this and walked towards the center of the arena. Katara sat on the ground and closed her eyes with her palms facing upward.

"What is she doing?"

"I think she's crazy."

"Pakku is going to get mad if she doesn't hurry up."

Pakku looked up from his clipboard to see what was taking so long. He was about to yell at Katara when, the water started to circle her. Within seconds there was a giant wolf behind Katara made from pure water. The wolf growled and made its way towards the other students. However, before the wolf reached them Katara closed her palms and the wolf disappeared and water covered the arena. Katara got up and sat down next the Aang, who had his mouth wide open.

"Very interesting," Pakku said as he took notes on the clipboard. He paused and told us to head back to the gym and get dressed. On the way back to the gym, Katara couldn't help but smirk at the faces she passed. Katara walked into the locker room and changed her shirt for the baby blue t-shirt she brought for practice. She walked out to see Aang standing near by.

When Aang saw her, he ran over and started shooting questions, "I didn't know that you were a master waterbender!"

Katara turned her head to the side and asked, "How do you know that I am a master waterbender?"

Aang wore a look of utter shock on his face, "no one could do what you just did, if they won't a master. Why are you still in gym clothes on, school is over?"

"I am trying out for the soccer and basketball team," Katara said with a hint of pride that Aang didn't notice.

"Wow! I didn't think that they let new kids join the teams," Aang said with joy on his face.

"They don't and they won't," growled a voice from behind Katara. She turned around slowly to see Zuko glaring her down.


	4. Chapter 4

Fighter

Fighter

By: Waterrockz

I do not own any of the characters or Avatar the Last Airbender.

This fanfic is rated M for a reason, there will be language & mild sexual reference in this chapter.

This fanfic is in modern time, but the characters still have their bending abilities and the nations they come from (fire, water, air, & earth). In America there are all types of nations, countries in colder climate (Antarctica, Greenland, Iceland, & Canada) have more water tribes, countries in hotter climate (South America, Australia, & Africa) have more fire nations, any land masses (Russia & Asia) have earth kingdoms, and all of Europe is where the air nomads are.

I would like to thank everyone who has supported, given advice or reviewed this story

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Pervious:

When Aang saw her, he ran over and started shooting questions, "I didn't know that you were a master waterbender!"

Katara turned her head to the side and asked, "How do you know that I am a master waterbender?"

Aang wore a look of utter shock on his face, "No one could do what you just did, if they won't a master. Why are you still in gym clothes on, school is over?"

"I am trying out for the soccer and basketball team," Katara said with a hint of pride that Aang didn't notice.

"Wow! I didn't think that they let new kids join the teams," Aang said with joy on his face.

"They don't and they won't," growled a voice from behind Katara. She turned around slowly to see Zuko glaring her down.

Now:

Katara eyed Zuko as he walked away him her and Aang. She watched the students stand around talking. A smirk crawled onto her face because they were talking about her. Katara made her way to the bleachers, passing faces that were priceless. She tossed her bag onto a bleacher and sat down. She leaned her back, back until she felt the next bleacher pressing against her back. The bleachers were marked by color, where each class sat, red for seniors, blue for juniors, green for sophomores, and yellow for freshmen. Katara learned that students refused to sit in those colors because it "offended" their beliefs and their background. Her eyes scanned the gym, observing the groups.

Aang and Toph were talking with each other about Toph's bending. Katara could tell that Aang like Toph, by the way the stood and the way he talked to her. She couldn't tell if Toph knew this, but she didn't really care. Aang wore an orange shirt with brownish shorts. His black hair was barely 3 inches off his head. Toph wore a green shirt with black shorts with brown shoes. Her black silky hair was pulled back into a messy bun. Katara hasn't here to make friends or fall in love; she was here to put people in their place.

She glanced over to see Kuzan and Zuko talking. Katara couldn't help but smirk when she saw her work. The limp in his leg went away during 4th period. Katara was a bit surprised when Zuko got up and started bending. She thought that with the 3 broken ribs he would sit out. However Katara had a slight suspicion that they were fractured, not broken. His golden eyes seemed to be the only weakness he had. His whole body and presence gave off someone strong, but he showed softness towards his sister. His blood red shirt did nothing to hide his muscles. Katara could see a long scar along his upper arm, which went from his shoulder down to his elbow. His black hair was shaggy enough to cover a bit of his eye.

Her eyes slipped over to Kuzan. His black hair was pulled back into a small pony-tail, which her brother had. 'Warrior's Wolf Tail' Katara corrected herself. The guys got mad when people called it a pony-tail and yelled right back that it was a Warrior's Wolf Tail. His golden eyes shone with brightness as he stole a glance from Katara. Katara had a slight suspicion that Kuzan liked her, but didn't think anything of it. Like Zuko, Kuzan had muscles that weren't concealed by his dark red shirt.

The bell brought Katara out of her thoughts. Most students left expect for 8. They started talking between themselves as the rest of the gang showed up. Katara smirked to herself as the last person walked through the door. She noticed that there were groups inside this one huge group.

Katara saw Azula, Mai, Tylee, and Jun talking together. Smellerbee, Pipsqueak, Duke, Longshot, and Jet were talking together. Katara laughed to herself as she remembered their profiles, they called themselves Freedom Fighters. She rolled her eyes as she moved on to the other groups. Jin, Meng, and Song were on the outside of the group. Choir was the topic they were talking about, their body language screamed it. Her eyes floated over to a group where Zuko, Kuzan, Sokka, and Suki were. Another group was Toph, Aang, Hahn and Yue. The last group had Chan, Haru, and Teo in it.

Sokka caught Katara in the corner on his eye and became curious. "What are you doing here?" Sokka asked as he parted from his group. He said this in a whisper, trying not to draw attention. However this failed and everyone's ears picked up.

Katara looked at her brother with hard eyes. She got up and walked towards him slowly; enjoying the looks she got from the other students. Her brother was wearing a blue shirt with black lettering. The writing was in Japanese, Katara noticed. This perked Katara interest because Sokka never wore anything with Japanese on it.

"I was told to come here," Katara said with a rough voice. She had to put up appearances to get on both teams. If she made it on one team, then she would make it on the other team. Katara really only wanted to be on the soccer team because that she her true love, but she knew that she would have to be on both.

"Who was the crack head that told you that?" Jun spat as she gave Katara a look of pure draggers. Katara just smirked and looked past them at a person who was standing in the back.

"I did," a voice boomed from the back of the gym. Everyone spun on their heels to see the last two people they wanted to see. Roku and Pakku were standing there with clipboards with their hands. Jun's face went pale as she realized that she called one of them a crack head. Roku looked at Pakku with a serious face then turned on his heel and walked out.

"We can't start tryouts for a week. The fields are going to be used by the cheer squad, which is being led by Ms. Li. The courts are going to be invested with little kids and the gym is going to be swarmed with parents on the school board. Tryouts will start next Monday at 3:30pm sharp," Pakku said with anger in his voice. He wanted to start today as bad as everyone else did. No one in their right mind would say anything right now.

He slammed the door shut on his way out of the gym. Groans started to be heard. Tensions became high and Katara found herself in the middle of a mob. Shouts and yelling could be heard, but everyone had their own opinion and wanted everyone else to hear it. Katara made her way to the outer part of the mob with a frown on her face.

"This is completely stupid!"

"What are we going to do?"

More shouts followed and Katara could feel a headache approach. She made her way back to the bleachers and turned her head back to see the madness. Katara couldn't understand why they were so upset about starting next week.

"Oh my god! What are we going to do without the field, court, or gym for a week?" yelled Katara with sarcasm dripping from her voice. Everyone stopped yelling and glared at Katara.

"I don't see the big deal about it. So what if we have to start next week. I didn't realize that the title mattered that much to you guys," Katara said with anger in her voice.

"We can't play soccer or basketball for a week!" yelled Haru as he glared at Katara. His green eyes didn't help his case though, kindness shone brightly. His dark forest green shirt hid his muscles, but didn't hide his scar on his neck.

"You all are idiots! You can still play, but just not here! If you haven't forgotten, there is a local park that has a basketball court and a soccer field. You might have to cancel a date to go there, but it is better than nothing," Katara yelled right back. She was going to make these idiots realize that they are acting like babies.

Silence was the answer Katara got. It was like the idea hit them like a bullet from a shot gun. They couldn't believe that one of them didn't think of the idea. Katara grabbed her bag and stormed her way towards the door.

A voice stopped Katara in her tracks, "If I recall correctly, your brother drove you here. How do you think you are going to get home?" Katara turned her body to face the owner of the voice. Chan was standing there with his arms crossed with a smirk planted on his face.

"I could use the spare key under the rim of the front right tire. But then I could hotwire the car. And yes, I can hotwire a car with my eyes closed," Katara said. His face was priceless and she couldn't help but smirk at his reaction. Sokka grumbled something to Kuzan before he kissed Suki on the lips. He pulled back, grabbed his bag, and made his way to Katara.

"I can't believe that I am doing this," Sokka mumbled as he past Katara with a frown plastered on his face. Both siblings made their way out of the school and towards the parking lot. Katara slid into the passenger seat while her brother got into the driver's seat.

Once he started the car, Katara flipped through the radio stations looking for something to take her mind off this day. Her ears picked up on a song that she had on her Ipod.

I Feel Bad by Rascal Flatts

_I should be out in that driveway stopping you  
Tears should be rolling down my cheek  
And I don't know why I'm not falling apart  
Like I usually do  
And how the thought of losing you isn't killing me  
I feel bad  
_

_That I can stand here strong  
Cold as stone, Seems so wrong  
I can't explain it  
Maybe it's just  
I've cried so much  
I'm tired and I'm numb Baby I hate it  
I feel bad that I don't feel bad_

I can let myself be angry over wasted time  
And sad about just throwing love away  
Yeah I almost wish my heart was breaking  
But I cant lie  
All I want to do is turn the page  
I feel Bad

That I can stand here strong  
Cold as stone, Seems so wrong  
I can't explain it  
Maybe it's just  
I've cried so much  
I'm tired and I'm numb Baby I hate it  
I feel bad

That I don't feel bitter, alone  
I just feel its time, its time to move on  
I just gotta move on and on and on and on

Yeah  
Baby it's just I've cried so much  
I'm tired and I'm numb baby I hate it  
I feel bad that I don't feel bad  
No, I don't feel bad 

Katara could relate to that song in many ways. She never felt sorry or bad for anyone she came across. Katara didn't feel guilty about anything she did. The one time she showed her emotions was 7 years ago. Ever since that day, Katara buried everything deep down. She cried so much that year and now, she was numb. The sound of the engine turning off brought Katara out of her thoughts.

Sokka glanced over at his sister and couldn't help but feel sorry for her. His grandmother and he were the only people who knew the reason why Katara turned hard and cold. He didn't see what Katara saw that day. He came home to find them, one dead and one barely alive.

"If you want to talk about…" Sokka said before he trailed off. His voice was barley over a whisper, a whisper that Katara heard.

"Sokka don't, please. I'm not some fragile girl who wears her heart out on her sleeve," Katara said in a harsh voice. She slammed the car door shut and made her way to the house. She hated it when Sokka said things like that.

Katara walked into the living room to see her grandmother knitting something in light blue on the couch. Her eyes danced over her grandmother's face, looking for something. Her face was kind and her eyes held wisdom in them. The grey silky hair was pulled back into a loose messy bun.

"Katara, I just…" Sokka said as he made his way to her. Katara threw her bag on the couch and stormed up the stairs. After hearing a door slam close, Sokka sunk into the ocean blue chair.

"What is it now? What did you do this time Sokka?" Kana asked after she took a deep sigh. She knew her grandchildren well enough to tell when there was tension between them. Sokka just had to look up into this grandmother's eyes before a single tear slid down his cheek. Kana's eyes went wide and she finally understood what was wrong.

"It's not in her nature to talk about her feelings, Sokka. She has to realize the error on her ways," Kana said as she placed her knitting needles on the coffee table.

"I know that grandma. It's…it's just I don't want her to get hurt again. She has seen and felt so much already," Sokka said with a whimper. He let his head fall into his weak hands as his elbows dug into his sore knees.

"You can't help her," Kana said as she leaned forward, before she was cut off by a loud voice.

"How dare you say that! You weren't there that night. You weren't the one who was dripping with blood. You hair wasn't matted with blood. Your clothes weren't torn and soaked with blood. It wasn't your eyes that witness a brutal killing! It was Katara who saw and heard everything," Sokka yelled with anger. He had enough of Katara being blamed for something she couldn't control.

He saw his grandma's head hang in shame. His eyes soften for a bit before he got up and went down into his room. Shortly after the door slammed shut, the sound of music could be heard.

Katara sighed as she picked herself off the steps and headed towards her room. They didn't know that she was up there, listening to their conversation. Katara opened her door and closed it quietly. She walked over to the window and opened it, feeling the cool wind blow against her mocha skin. Her blue eyes shone brightly as the sun pored into her room.

Katara knew Sokka was trying to help, but she wasn't in the mood. Her fist clenched and her teeth grinded together as memories swarmed her head. Katara quickly spun around and walked towards her dresser. She yanked the drawer opened to reveal dark colored clothing.

Katara pulled off her jeans and slipped a pair of black sweatpants on. Her shirt came off next and she through a black sports bra on over her blue one. She took her blue bra off and tossed it on the floor. A black sweatshirt was put on as the sound as a drawer being closed was heard.

Katara looked back at her door before she made her way towards the window. With her feet planted on the window seal, Katara reached up and grabbed the edge of the roof with her gloved hands. She easily pulled herself on the roof. Katara smirked to herself as she made her way to the side yard.

Katara had much experience of sneaking out at night. When her father was yelling and fighting with her grandma, Katara would sit on the roof for hours, staring at the stars. The roof on the side had a 76 degree angle, perfect for sliding down. Katara slid down the roof and landed on the ground with ease. Her knees were touching the soft lushes grass while her finger tips dug into the cold earth.

She quickly got up and ran towards the 4 foot fence, which surrounded the house. in her eyes the fence was like two things, a hurtle and a prison. A hurtle was something that was meant to be jumped over and a prison, to keep her locked up. She landed gracefully on the other side and started to slow her pace down to a jog. Katara was jogging through a few trees until she hit a dirt path.

About 3 years ago, the community had ordered that a trail be put in, to help with the growing health issues. The trail ended a mile in the other direction from her house, while the other part went 6 miles to the local park. The trail also went by an empty warehouse.

The one thing that Katara loved more than sports or fighting, was running. She could run for hours on end without being tired. Katara loved the way that the wind blew against her warm skin. The way her feet pounded the ground, felt just right. The trees that lined the path provided shade from the sun.

Katara always took this trail instead of the sidewalks. Her father had friends that would sometimes watch them during the summer and after school. Everyone knew that the trail was there, but it wasn't used often by the public. A year after the trail was made, people stopped using it. When Katara ran, she saw maybe two people who she never saw before on each trip.

Katara didn't mind this at all. She preferred to be alone, than with a bunch of people. Talking never seemed to help her with her problems. Running was the one thing that helped her. Her mind seem to clear itself as she ran.

A small dirt path appeared about 3 meters ahead. It was connected to the main trail, but led off into the forest. Katara didn't hesitate as she took the new path. Running a short distance, a giant gate appeared. Her pace came to a stop as she approached the gate.

Katara pressed her hand against the middle of the gate. A panel shot out from the ground, about 3 meters away to the right. Katara walked over to the panel and slid back the cover. A number pad appeared as the cover disappeared. Her hand drifted over the keys, but stop suddenly. Her eyes looked to either side of her before she focused her attention back to the keys.

The numbers 8, 20, 91, and 6 were pressed. The first three numbers were her birthday, month, day, and year. The last number was her favorite number. A cranking noise was heard from behind the gate before the gate started to open. The panel disappeared into the ground and Katara continued her jog through the gate.

As she jogged up the path, a few people were standing on the side. To be more specific, there were 6 men dressed in black with AK-7's at their sides. After running about 3 miles, Katara saw a huge warehouse appear in her sight. She smirked to herself as she approached the huge building. The path to the warehouse was cut off from the public about 2 weeks after the trail was opened.

Katara pulled the hood over her head as she approached the door. Before she could touch the door, two men appeared with their hands out for Katara to stop. Katara stopped and back up a few paces so the men could get a better look. One of the men approached her with a handheld device. Katara back away a few steps with a hidden face of confusion.

"What the fuck do you think that you are doing?" Katara asked in a harsh tone. The pervious times the guards just looked her over with a careful eye and let her by.

"I can do whatever I want to do with you," growled the guard as he reached for her arm. Katara quickly side stepped and grabbed his arm. She pulled his arm back and kicked his feet from under him. He rolled over to his stomach as Katara through back her hood.

"I am…I am so sor…sorry, Dark Angel." The guard stammered as he looked into her eyes. The frown never left Katara's face as he spoke.

"It's a new security protocol, SN," said the other guard as he approached them. Katara turned and smirked as she saw the face. Her ring name was Dark Angel, but only a handful of people called her SN.

A year after her family moved here, Katara went for a run through the forest. She came upon yelling and loud voices. In the clearing was a circle of men shooting at the two men in the middle. Katara's hair was really short, most people mistook her for a boy at a quick glance. Katara walked towards the circle and squeezed her way through the crowd. The next thing she knew was that she was being pushed into the ring of the men. Her opponent had a good 3 feet on her She beat the crap out of the guy and that's when they gave her SN for a nickname. SN stood for Silent Night.

She knew this guard. He helped train her and now she mastered the master. He was the only person that she confided in. "it's good to see you again," Katara said to the guard. She was a bit surprise to see him out here as a guard. He was the only person that Katara couldn't beat.

The guard seemed to read her mind. "Joe called in sick. They need someone to tale his place for the day," the guard said with a smirk on his face. Katara laughed to herself as he called another gaud by their real name. when you got into this type of 'business' your name was never said, most people didn't know.

"Can I get through now Matt," Katara said with an impatience voice. She was the only person who could get away with calling Matt by his name.

"Yeah you can. You are a few hours early," Matt said with a hint of concern in his voice. Only Katara noticed this and walked towards him. She stopped when she was at his side, facing the entrance while he faced the forest.

"It's nothing to worry about Matthew," Katara said in a low quite voice. Matt could tell she was serious because she said his whole name. Katara glanced up at Matt for a moment.

His face was rough and had a few scars. His green eyes shone with concern, it was something people rarely saw in him. Matt's brown hair was pulled back into a 'Warrior's Wolf Tail'. Katara noticed that his dark brown shirt did nothing to conceal his muscles. His tan arms reminded her of sand at the beach. The fact that he was 19, made Katara wonder how he was able to get into fighting at such a young age. Matt still had years of experience over her and she started fighting when she was 8 years old.

Katara quickly brought herself out of her thoughts. She walked towards the door and let herself in. the smell of blood and sweat met her nose.


	5. Chapter 5

**I do not own any of the characters or Avatar the Last Airbender**

Chemistry- room # 123

Calculus- room # 345

Weapons- room # 48

AP Government- room # 101

Japanese- room # 103

Bending- gym/arena

**All pictures of the vehicles driven are in my profile!!**

I would like to thank everyone who has supported, given advice or reviewed this story

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* * *

**Previous:**

"It's nothing to worry about Matthew," Katara said in a low quite voice. Matt could tell she was serious because she said his whole name. Katara glanced up at Matt for a moment.

His face was rough and had a few scars. His green eyes shone with concern, it was something people rarely saw in him. Matt's brown hair was pulled back into a 'Warrior's Wolf Tail'. Katara noticed that his dark brown shirt did nothing to conceal his muscles. His tan arms reminded her of sand at the beach. The fact that he was 19, made Katara wonder how he was able to get into fighting at such a young age. Matt still had years of experience over her and she started fighting when she was 8 years old.

Katara quickly brought herself out of her thoughts. She walked towards the door and let herself in. the smell of blood and sweat met her nose.

* * *

**Now:**

The sound of the door slamming shut brought Sokka and Kana out of their thoughts. The figure walked towards them with anger in its steps. Sokka wore a blank expression, something he learned from his sister when they were younger.

"Where is she?" the figure yelled as he threw his bag by the wall with anger. He stepped into the light, his features becoming very clear now. The dark blue eyes shone with anger. His face showed violence and hatred in it. The face looked around the room for something. The black suite blended in with his tan skin and blue eyes.

"What are you talking about, dad?" Sokka asked in a firm voice. He could tell that his father was on the hunt and his sister was the prey. Kana, Sokka, and Katara had to be in the living room when he got home, a stupid rule that no one followed much these days. The head snapped towards Sokka and his eyes held more anger in them, if that was even possible.

"You know damn well who I am talking about. My boss's son came to work all beat up. He claimed that he could take care of it and it was just some new punk at school. Almost everyone jumped to the conclusion that is was a male, but I know better by now. The only person dumb enough to hurt the Agni's is Katara," Sokka's father said in a loud and harsh voice. Sokka's eyes widen for a brief moment. Zuko's dad was his father's boss? Sokka knew that the Agni's were powerful people, but he didn't know that his father worked for them. This can't be good!

"This is the last time that I will ask, where is Katara?" yelled Hakoda. Silence greeted him, it was an eerie silence. You couldn't hear any movement of the breathing of the three people.

Frustrated, Hakoda stormed towards Sokka only to have a voice cut through the air. "Don't you dare touch my grandson!" The voice was strong compared to the body which it came from. He moved towards her quickly.

"What is with all the yelling?" yelled a voice from the top of the stairs. A figure appeared from the shadows slowly, as if it didn't want to be seen. The brown hair was pulled into a loose messy bun. The silk midnight blue pajama bottoms sprinkled against the light. Bare feet looked a bit pale compared to the color of the bare arms. The black tank top hugged every curve, showing a long deep scar. The scar began at the neck and traveled behind her shoulder and into the shirt.

"Where have you been, Katara?" Hakoda asked, more like demanded then a question. The room became so tense that you could cut it out with a knife.

"I have been in my room doing homework. Afterwards, I was trying to catch up on my sleeping," Katara said as she yawned. The sound of the phone ringing made everyone jump, besides Katara. Late night phone calls to the house weren't something new and wouldn't ever stop. Sokka walked towards the kitchen and answered the phone.

"Hello?" Sokka said into the phone. His face lit up a bit as he looked back at Katara. Everyone knew that the phone was for Hakoda, who else would call the home phone. Sokka's friends connected him by his cell or email, Kana's friends only called during the day, and Katara didn't have any friends who connected her.

"The phone is for you, dad," Sokka said as he reached the phone out. With angry footsteps, Hakoda walked up the stairs and stormed into his room.

After hearing their father's voice on the phone, Sokka put the phone on the receiver and looked at Katara. Sweat drops were forming on his face, but soon were gone knowing that the fight was over. Most likely Hakoda would be on the phone for the next few hours and then go to sleep or talk for a few more minutes and leave the house.

"You have great timing you now that. I went into your room earlier to find the window wide open and you gone," Kana said in a clam voice. Katara glance over at her grandmother with a blank face. However, hurt, surprise, and anger were in her eyes. Since when did people go into her room? Katara made is clear to her family that she hated people in her room.

"You went into my room!" Katara said in a harsh tone. She walked down the stairs in a slow pace. Leaning against the kitchen wall, Katara eyed her grandmother.

"You have been gone for 5 hours!" Kana said with a voice that made head turns. Kana never raised her voice with her grandkids. Katara raised an eyebrow and frowned. Katara didn't care if she was murdered in her room with the door closed, she didn't want people in her room.

"Lets go outside for a bit," Sokka said to his sister. He didn't want to know how this was going to end. He had enough fighting for one day. He went to the door and glanced back to see if Katara was following him.

Katara pushed herself off the wall and walked towards the door. Sokka opened the door and walked on to the deck. Katara followed and sat on the railing. They sat there for a while, both enjoying the silence. The stars were out tonight, first time in a long time. They lived in a part of tone where you rarely saw the stars. People in New York didn't truly want to see the stars.

The deck wrapped around their house and a swing was near the back of the house. Sokka sat on the steps and looked at his sister. "You know that I would do anything for you," Sokka said, almost wishing he hadn't. He didn't want to ruin the peace and quiet.

Katara glanced back at her brother and kept a blank expression. "Sometimes I doubt that a lot," Katara said in a hurt voice. She was still a bit angry that Sokka let his friends walk over her without saying anything. Then he took their side, she felt so lone at that moment.

Sokka was completely shocked by what Katara said. "What are you talking about, sis?" Sokka asked in a quiet voice. He felt really hurt by that statement, but he didn't miss how hurt her voice sounded either. He turned his body around and sat looking right at her. He saw her eyes travel down to the ground and back up.

Before Katara could replay, the sound of a car stopping brought them out of their conversation. Katara turned her head to see a candy red BMW M3 convertible **(picture of car in my profile under Azula's car)** in the drive way. The passenger and driver's door opened to revel two women. The driver of the car leaned against the door and watched Sokka and Katara with curious eyes. The passenger walked in front of the car and looked at Sokka.

"Suki!" Sokka said with a surprised voice. He jumped off the steps and jogged down to Suki. Katara had to hold back a face of disgusted when they hugged and kissed. She looked at Azula to see jealousy in her eyes. Katara raised an eyebrow at this. Why would Azula be jealous of Suki? Didn't she have a boyfriend?

"What are you doing here?" Sokka asked in a quiet voice. Her brown eyes shone with confusion. Azula smirked but kept her focus on Katara.

"I had Azula drive me here in her car so I could..." Suki trailed off. Katara smirked to herself, knowing what Suki was about to ask Sokka. What was really funny, was the fact that his answer was going to be no.

"So you could what, babe" Sokka asked in a voice with humor in it. Sokka was searching her eyes for any hints.

Before she could answer, a breeze came and she shivered. Sokka wrapped his arms around her and dragged her towards the house. He looked back at his sister with pleading eyes before he took her inside. The message she got was to be nice and stay outside. Katara watched them go inside and turned her attention back to Azula.

"How did you know about me?" Katara demanded once the door closed behind them. Azula looked up at Katara and it was then that Katara read her eyes. Sadness and guilt ran through her eyes. Azula's black jeans hugged her sides and covered her black heels. Her deep brown leather coat seemed to mold just right against her body. The white t-shirt seemed to be a bit loose compared to her jeans.

"Roku always does background checks on new students. However, since your grandmother talked to him, he told her that he would let you in without a background check. But he didn't, he did a full background check on you," Azula said in a quiet voice. Katara was a bit surprised to hear the tone of her voice. Azula was always hard and tough.

"That still doesn't explain how you know about me past," Katara said in a clam voice. She realized that if Azula was clam, she could be clam too. Both were the same in ways, but different in other ways.

"You promise not to tell anyone?" Azula asked suddenly. Katara couldn't help but show a face of surprise. Azula Agni was asking her to keep a secret after knowing her for a day! Katara couldn't believe it and felt a bit honored too. No one asked her before to keep a secret.

"How can you trust me, after knowing my past?" Katara asked in a voice that held shame. Katara didn't regret or rethink anything she did. Her past was dark and scary; she couldn't understand why Azula would trust her.

"I don't know a lot about your past, to tell you the truth. I know only a little about you, yet I feel like I have known you for a long time. I trust you because honor and trust are highly valued by you. You have never ratted anyone out or turned in anyone," Azula said. She was looking around to make sure that she wasn't being overheard by anyone.

"OK...I will bite. I promise not to tell anyone," Katara said in a quiet voice. She couldn't believe that she was doing this. She never had a connection with any other person before. People would stay way from her, as if she had a disease.

Azula looked at Katara with sad eyes. She reached into her coat pocket and pulled on an envelope. Azula turned it over in her hand, thinking hard. She walked forward and headed Katara the envelope. Katara took it and looked at Azula with a serious face.

The sound of the door opening brought both girls out of their thoughts. Sokka stood I the doorway looking at both girls with confusion on his face. Suki slipped from under his arms and made her way to the car. Azula turned back around and made her way to the driver's door. Both got into the car and they drove off.

Katara turned around and walked past Sokka before he could ask questions. Katara glanced at the clock, which read 11:23pm. She made her way up the stairs and towards her room. She opened and closed her door quietly. Katara made her way to the window and locked it before she jumped on her bed. Katara stared at the envelope for a long time before she made her move to open it.

Katara dumped the continents on her bed. A letter and a business card stared back at her. Katara reached for the letter first and started to read it.

_**Dear Katara,**_

_**I am sorry that I couldn't tell you anything in person. It is hard to trust people these days. I know that there are many questions you want to be answered and they will be in time. Before I move on, I want to let you know that I trust you with my life. Don't ask why or how, for I don't know that either. For what I am going to tell you is for your ears and eyes only.**_

_**Like you, I can hack into any computer I want. My father and brother are unaware of this. To tell you the truth, they are unaware about most things in this letter and that I am writing it to you. Roku was talking to my brother when I went into his office about 4 days ago. I was able to hack in and find information about you. However, it wasn't a lot. There are only several things I know and I will never tell anyone else.**_

_**your mother is dead (I don't know any details though)**_

_**you moved from Japan shortly afterwards (with your father & brother)**_

_**shortly after you came here, you joined Underground Fighting**_

_**your ring name is Dark Angel**_

_**Matt trained you (you are better than him now, in my opinion)**_

_**you have a scar which runs from mid-neck down to the middle of your back**_

_**your brother is very protective over you (even though he didn't show it today)**_

_**you love soccer more than basketball (even though you play & love both)**_

_**your dad use to beat you (I don't know if he stop or not)**_

_**you love to fight and run (why you are I great shape)**_

_**you hate to shop for girly things**_

_**you never back down form a fight or bet (which will get you in trouble)**_

_**you have photographic memory (which is totally cool)**_

_**you love to hack (I couldn't agree more)**_

_**your grandmother knew your secret you when you were in "7**__**th**__** grade"**_

_**you run 15 miles every morning to keep your mind clear (I do it too)**_

_**you can sing and write songs (which are amazing, by the way)**_

_**you have written 15 songs (so far, many more are to come)**_

_**you have an issue with controlling your temper around idiots (like my brother)**_

_**That is all I know about you. I can understand if you don't want to ever talk to me again. I wouldn't mind at all. I also know that you read files about all of us (all 23 of us). I know that Roku wants you to put Zuko and the rest of the gang in their place.**_

_**Our father is the boss of your father. Apparently, Zuko walked in and told them that some kid at school did it ad that he could handle it. Zuko would never rat you out by the way, if that settles some things floating around in your head. I know that you are better at soccer and basketball than him, but try not to beat him so bad that I can't get a rematch. And yes, there are beats going between you two. Everyone votes Zuko, but I voted for you. Therefore if you win, I get all the money (I will give you some wink)**_

_**Most of the things that I said about you, Roku doesn't know. I have many sources around me, in the Underground Fighting and on the streets. He only knows the first two things about you. I know that you won't be able to trust me at first, but I hope we can be friends. Yes, I know I said friends. Most people think that I am cold and heartless, but I am not. I am just different, doesn't mean that I am evil. I have to put up an appearance (Zuko does too) to please my father. I wish one day that I can escape it.**_

_**One thing that will make brother tick, but not fight back is my nickname for him. I call him Zuzu all the time. He will be stunned and not able to talk. He will wonder where you heard it from and how much you are involved with me.**_

_**Meet me after school, if you can. The girls would love to get to know you. I understand that you don't trust people off the bat, but I hope that you can warm up to them.**_

_**Azula **_

_**P.S The business card has my cell phone number & my email**_

Katara picked up the business and saw a phone number and an email address. Katara walked over to her desk and moved the mouse. The laptop screen flashed and the background came up. A picture of a soccer ball on grass was screen. A box came up and a number combination. Katara entered 8, 20, 91, and 6 into the box. A loading strip appeared. Katara had installed a security thing after her brother tried to get on her account.

The screen all of a sudden switched to a picture of Katara and Matt. Katara got on the internet and went to her email account. After looking at the business again, Katara type the email address in and sent a short email to Azula.

**_Azula,_**

**_Fine, you win! Jet Li is better than Jackie Chan!_**

**_Katara_**

Katara turned off the computer and slipped into her bed. Katara closed her eyes and tried to fall asleep. However, the same nightmare was waiting for her and Katara knew that she wouldn't get any sleep tonight.

The sound of someone banging on the door brought Katara out of her sleep. Katara turned over and looked at her stereo, 7:32am. Katara jumped out of bed and fell on the floor. The banging didn't stop, it seemed to quicken. Katara ran over and flew the door open.

Sokka stood outside is sister's room, banging on the door. It was past 7:30 and Katara wasn't up already. The door flew open and Sokka saw a tired Katara looking back at him. Sokka smirked and walked away knowing that they would be running late. Katara slammed the door closed after seeing her brother's smirk.

Katara quickly got dressed and threw her hair into a messy braid. She grabbed her bag and ran down the stairs to see her brother sitting on the couch talking to Suki. Katara ignored the looks she got and went into the kitchen. Kana was sitting at the island with the news paper. She looked up and tossed her an apple. Katara catch it and made her way back to the living room.

"Late night?" a voice asked Katara as she got into the living room. There was no wall between the living room and the kitchen, only carpet in the living room, hardwood floors in the hallway, and tile in the kitchen. Katara looked up to see five different faces staring at her.

"What is it to you?" Katara growled as she sat down in the recliner. Sokka and Suki were sitting together on one couch, while Kuzan, Hahn, and Yue sat on the other couch. Katara was a bit surprised to see them here, but she never showed it. Katara ate her apple without paying attention to their conversation. Katara couldn't help but notice how Kuzan would sneak glances at her.

Katara had a feeling that Kuzan like her, but she didn't return the same feelings. Once Katara tossed the apple core in the garbage can, she saw everyone get up and move towards the door. Katara grabbed her bag and walked behind everyone, trying to hold back a yawn.

"You really should try to get some sleep at night. Your eyes look terrible compared to their usual beauty," Kuzan said as he placed his hands on her shoulders. Katara cursed silently to herself as she realized that Kuzan was behind her as she went outside. Katara notice that their were 3 vehicles in their driveway.

Yue and Hahn were walking towards a black 2008 Hummer **(picture in my profile under Hahn's car)**. Hahn was wearing dark blue jeans with a white bottom-down shirt. His blackish, brownish hair was a mess and his dark blue eyes matched his necklace perfectly. His necklace was a dark blue stone hanging off a silver chain. Yue had her snowy white hair pulled back into a messy ponytail. Her light blue eyes matched the sky perfectly. Yue was wearing a baby blue tank top with black jeans. She also wore a pink belt and blue heels.

Sokka and Suki were walking towards Sokka's dark blue Jaguar **(picture in my profile under Sokka's car)**. Sokka was wearing brown pants and a forest green dress-up shirt. His navy blue eyes shone with love and his dark brown hair was hanging loose from it's 'Warrior's Wolf Tail'. Suki was wearing green carpis with black flip flops. Her white tank top was bagging, but wasn't too big for her figure. Suki's brown eyes matched Sokka's pants and her chestnut brown hair was pulled back into a half ponytail.

Katara didn't realize that everyone was inside their cars, until Kuzan walked away from her and towards the 3rd car, a Ford Mustang GT 2005 **(picture in my profile under Kuzan's car)**. Katara watched him opened the passenger door and wait for her. Katara made her way to the car, her eyes never leaving Kuzan. His usual black hair was down and covered the top of his face. His golden eyes were bright was usual, they always had that extra shine for Katara. His blood red button up shirt fit him perfectly. Katara could clearly tell that he had a six-pack, not that Katara minded **(she is a teenage girl).** His black jeans were loose and his black shoes matched.

Katara walked around and got in the car. While she was getting in, she felt his arm brush against her, but Katara didn't think twice about it. After the door shut, the driver's door open and Kuzan slide in. He turned the car on and waited for everyone else to back up before he put the car in reverse.

"Hey, I am sorry about what I said-" said Kuzan as he started to make his way to the school. However, Katara cut him off.

"It's not your fault, Kuzan. I just had trouble sleeping last night and I didn't mean to snap at you," Katara said quickly. Katara looked at Kuzan with a blank face, hoping he would buy it and stop talking about it. Kuzan looked at Katara for a brief moment before he turned his attention back to the road. Katara saw a smile appear on his face.

"I think that is the first time that you apologized to me. You must be sick, Katara. I think I should turn this car around and take you home," Kuzan said while he was laughing. Katara did admit that she didn't usually tell people that she was sorry. Katara smiled and looked back out the window.

"So…how about after school I take you some where? The park?" Kuzan asked with a hopeful voice. Katara grimaced inside a bit. She completely forgot about her meeting with Azula.

"Actually, Azula wanted to take me somewhere after school. Sorry," Katara said as she faked a sad smile. She saw a frown appear on his face. Kuzan looked at her as if she grew a third eye. Katara knew that is was a surprise that she would be hanging out with Azula.

"That's….cool," Kuzan said in a quiet voice. Katara could tell that Kuzan was a bit worried about her, but Katara knew that she could take care of herself. Katara noticed that they were pulling into the school parking lot. She sighed loudly and wanted nothing more to get out of the car.

"I like your outfit by the way," Kuzan said with a slight blush on his cheeks. Katara turned her head towards him and smirked a bit. His blush was sweet and quite cute to Katara. Katara glanced down at her clothes for the first time. She wore her black tennis shoes, dark blue basketball shorts, and a red t-shirt. Katara had a feeling that is was going to be warm, since the sun was already out when she got up.

However, Katara noticed that her shorts showed her smooth tan legs and her shirt hugged her curves a bit more than usual. Katara rolled her eyes at Kuzan and looked out her window. Her eyes focused on the cars, trying to clear her mind of the boy sitting next to her.

Kuzan turned off the car and got out. Katara opened her door and grabbed her bag before she shut the door closed. She glanced around to see almost everybody in shorts and short sleeved shirts. Katara made her way to the main building, remembering that she never went to her 2nd or 3rd periods. Katara closed her eyes and sighed deeply. After making her way to chemistry (123), Katara opened the door and went to the same desk.

Katara knew that she was early, but she didn't care. She could see Mr. Bumi walking towards her with fear in his eyes. "Miss Katara," Mr. Bumi said with a clam voice. Katara stared in his eyes when she spoke.

"Before you ask, there won't be a repeat of yesterday," Katara said. After hearing this, Katara saw his shoulders relax a bit. She watched him walked back towards his desk. The sound of the bell brought Katara out of her thoughts. Katara lead forward and watched the students file in. today was going to be a long day.

* * *

_**You get to chose:**_

_**Who should **__**Mai**__** be with, Jet, Chan, or someone else?**_

_**Who should **__**Jun**__** be with, Jet, Chan, or someone else?**_


	6. UPDATE

**UPDATE:**

**This is an important note for everyone to read. The school I go to started on August 27th and now I have no time to update my stories. Most of you know that I am doing volleyball and soccer right now, meaning I have no spare time. Oh, did I mention homework…that is always a plus.**

**I will be posting an update for my two stories (Forbidden Love & Fighter) and a FAQ for Fighter. Right now I am working on new chapters for both stories and hope to have them posted by Christmas (yes I know that is a long ways away).**

**I always realize that my grammar and spelling have been getting worse lately, and for that I am sorry. My boyfriend (Matt) is the one who usually rereads my chapter and edit it before I post it. However, he is in Italy right now for family stuff.**

**That brings up a good point; I will be going to Italy to visit Matt and my family over Christmas and sometime in January. Therefore I won't be able to post any update notes or chapters. I will post an update when I get back though.**

**I would also love your input for my stories. I have an outline of where I want to go, but it isn't solid right now. I love your advice and input; however flames and other rude comments are loved as much.**

**Thank you for your loyal support and dealing with my lack of updating.**

**Waterrockz**


	7. FAQ

_FAQ_

There are a ton of questions and suggestions that I am getting from people that deal with this story. I will try and answer as may as possible. I am not trying to sound mean or rude, but when you get asked a question about 5 times a day, it tends to get under my skin.

* * *

**#1**: Why does it take you forever to update?  
**ANSWER**: I have a life, for one. My family and friends come before my story, sorry. The fact that I go out of town a lot of the time, should tell you that I will not always be by a computer. The school I go to started on August 27th and now I have to deal with volleyball, soccer, and homework.

**#2:** How many chapters are you going to do?  
**ANSWER**: I have no clue, so stop asking.

**#3:** What is up with Zuko hitting Katara in the first chapter? Guys don't hit girls in real life, what school do you go to?  
**ANSWER**: This is my story so I can do anything I want. If you are going to be rude when you ask me a question, don't except a nice answer back.

**#4:** Why did you do the files, it was so boring?  
**ANSWER**: Because I felt like it. Most people tell me that they skipped through the files, and I am completely fine by it. However, later in the story you might need to reread some people's files. For example, I laid out Zuko's past.

**#5:** Is Zuko going to show up at the Under Ground fighting and Katara is going to train him?  
**ANSWER:** At first I didn't think about having Zuko fighting, I was thinking Toph or Azula. However since a ton of people keep bugging me about it, I will have to think about it.

**#6:** What is up with Azula's character?  
**ANSWER:** In every story I read, Azula is made out to be the bad guy. What if she turned good and wanted someone to talk to? To be honest, I was going to have Azula be 'good', but since a lot of people are against it, I will have to think about it.

**#7:** When are Zuko & Katara going to notice their feelings for each other?  
**ANSWER:** I have no idea. You will just have to wait and find out. And yes, this is a Zutara story.

**#8:** What is up with the poll?

**ANSWER:** I couldn't make my mind up on who some people should be with. They aren't major characters (yet) but I still wanted people's ideas and input. The poll is at the end of chapter 5 (for anyone who didn't see it).

**#9:** Do we get to know how the poll is going so far?

**ANSWER:** This question threw me off at first and it still does. I still need your guys input and votes, **PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!!**

Mai & Jet-**5**

Mai & Chan-**2**

Mai & Other (someone else)-**2**

Jun & Jet-**3**

Jun & Chan-**4**

Jun & Other (someone else)-**3**

**#10:** What is up with the links in your profile under Fighter that deal with dresses (under ground & party)?

**ANSWER:** I haven't used them yet in the story, but I will soon (I hope). I didn't have any other place to put the links, so I placed them on my profile.

**#11:** What are the songs Katara wrote? Did you write them or using 'real' songs?

**ANSWER:** Most of the songs are going to be "real" (songs already made), but there are two or one that will be mine. My uncle works with a record companying and has a ton (and I mean a ton) of CD's. I sat down for a day and went through them all and got roughly about 25 good songs that I would consider for the story. However, I don't think that I want to do them all, so I have to pick my favorites.

**#12**: There is a rumor going around that Zuko also writes and sings songs, is this true or false? If so, how many songs?

**ANSWER:** I hate rumors so much. I also hate giving out spoilers about the story. However I guess I can make a few exceptions. Yes, Zuko also writes songs. However, I don't know if I want him to sing. He could write them and sing them or he writes them for someone else. I have yet to make a complete decision on that yet. I picked out roughly 24 or 23 songs for Zuko when I was at my uncle's house.

**#13:** What is the genre of the music?

**ANSWER:** It's a mix between pop, hip hop, rock, and country. For people who don't know, I was raised around country music and that tends to rub off on me. For example, a lot of the songs are country.


	8. Chapter 6

***I do not own any of the characters or Avatar the Last Airbender**

***All pictures of the vehicles and dresses are in my profile!!!!!!!!!**

***I would like to thank everyone who has supported, given advice or reviewed this story. There are 8 people who I would like to thank personally…**

**AvatarAiris, Apolla 101, BonitaChickia ,Clairelovesedward ,Roxy (), HimeIchigoYuki, Matthew, Zutara-vampirepirate, and Z1ZYX**

* * *

**Previous:**

Kuzan turned off the car and got out. Katara opened her door and grabbed her bag before she shut the door closed. She glanced around to see almost everybody in shorts and short sleeved shirts. Katara made her way to the main building, remembering that she never went to her 2nd or 3rd periods. Katara closed her eyes and sighed deeply. After making her way to chemistry (123), Katara opened the door and went to the same desk.

Katara knew that she was early, but she didn't care. She could see Mr. Bumi walking towards her with fear in his eyes. "Miss Katara," Mr. Bumi said with a clam voice. Katara stared in his eyes when she spoke.

"Before you ask, there won't be a repeat of yesterday," Katara said. After hearing this, Katara saw his shoulders relax a bit. She watched him walked back towards his desk. The sound of the bell brought Katara out of her thoughts. Katara lead forward and watched the students file in. Today was going to be a long day.

* * *

**Now:**

Friday had come quickly for Katara, but not for Sokka. The week had flown by Katara and Friday night was here. She leaned her head on the window and watched the passing trees. She couldn't help but smirk when she remembered the week. The hallways cleared for her when they were jam pack. Classmates tried to sit away from her in class, but the teachers wouldn't listen. She and Zuko had not spoken a word to each other since their run in yesterday. Katara had been going to the park to shoot hoops after school for an hour. Kuzan stop by once and talked to her for a bit, while they shot hoops.

Sokka kept his eyes on the road, but keep glancing towards his sister. The week had passed by slowly for him. He spent every minute watching over his sister. He feared that she would cause more trouble and be expelled from school. If dealing with Katara wasn't enough, his own friends stopped hanging out with him. For the first time in his life, Sokka was an outcast in his group of friends. His own girlfriend had stopped messaging him at night. He wasn't quite sure whose idea it was, but he was going to find out.

He pulled up into the driveway and turned the car off. He sat there quietly; thinking to himself. He didn't notice that Katara had turned in her seat and was now facing him. Sokka glanced towards Katara to see worry in her eyes. Sokka knew that Katara would only show concern in her eyes for him and Kana

"You look like shit," Katara voiced in a dull tone. She had noticed that Sokka was becoming quieter and more laid back than normal. She figured that it had something to do with her, even though he would never admit it out loud. Katara had also noticed that Sokka had stop hanging around his friends, however it could've been the other way around.

"You should come tonight and relax a little," Katara said with a smirk.

"I thought that you weren't going there to fight anymore," Sokka said with a hint of disappointment in his voice. Katara threw her head back and laughed. Sokka was stunned for a second; he hadn't heard Katara laugh for a while.

Katara got out of car and tossed her bag over her shoulder. Sokka followed her movements and headed towards the door. They walked through the front door and smelled fresh baked bread. Katara glanced back at Sokka and gave a sly smile.

"I am not going there to fight. You should know that by now. By the way, a set of clothes are on your bed for tonight," Katara said with amusement in her voice. She walked up the stairs and the sound of a door shutting was heard.

*****

"Take a left up at the next fork," a girl verbalized as she sat in the passenger seat. The driver took the left and drove a bit before they came upon a line of cars. The driver moaned with dread and slumped in his seat, putting his hands on his head. His fingers wove through his hair.

"If you didn't take forever, we would be there earlier," the passenger said with a mocking voice as she leaned over and put her arms on the dashboard. The driver peaked over his arm to look at the owner of the voice. Her rich brown hair was up in a bun with a few wisps hanging freely. The black halter dress clung tightly around her body and fanned out at the waist. The neckline plunged below the navel and was embellished with a ring detail. Her knee length black boots shined in the light.

"Will you stop checking me out already! For heaven's sake, I am your sister," the girl teased with a smirk. The boy looked at his sister in the eye and began to chuckle. He sat up straighter as he eased off the brakes and crept forward.

The girl looked at her brother, more like examined him. This would be the first time that he would ever step into her world. He had guessed and assumed things about this place, but this time he would see with his own eyes. The girl had been wondering all day if he was ready for this.

Her eyes fell upon his appearance instead of his actions and approved. His dark blue silky shirt hung loose with the first few buttons undone. He wore black slacks with black shoes. His dark brown hair was spiked up and his navy blue eyes shone with anxiety.

The driver followed the cars until they came to a stop. They both got out and a valet took the keys and gave the boy a ticket. The driver took the ticket and walked towards the girl. They both walked towards the door.

The guards were in a relax position as they walked up. One of the guards' eyes glanced up and he suddenly sucked in a breath. He straightened up quickly and stared ahead at nothing. The guard on the opposite side looked at his partner and raised his eyebrows. He glanced towards them and went pale. He followed his partner's stance and looked at nothing.

The boy and girl walked up to the door and the girl stopped. Her eyes fell over the guards' faces. She wore a frown on her face as she looked between the guards.

"Acting like that won't get you anywhere here," the girl said with a harsh voice. The boy noticed both guards flinch, whether it was fear of what would happen to them or the tone of her voice. But the boy dared not make an objection because he was an outsider to this world. Tonight would be the first time that he has ever witness her world.

"Sorry ma'am. Everyone important is already here," the guard who reacted last blurted. He spoke without thinking and was too scared to realize his mistake.

"Everyone important..." the girl echoed with a questioning voice.

The guards face paled even more when he realized his mistake. "I meant everyone but you Dark Angel," the guard apologized. Both guards held their breaths, waiting for what the Dark Angel would say.

"Well, that's always good. Oh and by the way, I am only dangerous in the ring," Dark Angel expressed with a smirk on her face. The boy whipped his head towards his sister with wide eyes. He knew from past experience that Katara could be very dangerous outside the ring. The past week was a perfect example of this.

Katara looked back at her brother and beckon him with her head. They walked through the door and Sokka was blown away. Loud music met their ears and colored lights took control of their eye sight. Sokka was almost lost his sight and hearing until Katara led them through a mass of people.

Sokka glanced around to take in his surroundings. They appeared to be in a warehouse on the main floor. He noticed a staircase in front of them, the direction they were heading. They headed up and were almost to the top until Katara stopped them.

"Most people hang down there until the fights start. Most of them are rouge teenagers, young adults, and no one of importance. Everyone with money, power, and influence are up there. I can get away with almost anything because of who I am here. I have power here and that is very import here. Don't say anything that will piss them off. Don't say anything about me or our family unless you are questioned by someone who knows us and don't get drunk," Katara preached to her older brother. Her eyes boring into his, making sure he got the point. She could see all the questions floating around in his eyes.

"Why am I aloud in there then?" Sokka questioned. It was one of the many questions he had. He witness his sister give a sad sigh. He was here fir barely 2 minutes and he was already confused.

"Certain people...fighters...are aloud to bring...friends...company with them. I know you don't know a ton right now and your head is filled with questions that demand answers. I wish I could prepare you for any and everything that will or might happen tonight, but I can't. I wish I could give you a survival guide, but I can't. Some things are better learned when you experience them for yourself, whether then me telling you about them," Katara jested.

"Alright, lets just get this over with," Sokka commented. He went up a step before Katara gripped his forearm. Sokka stopped and turned his head toward her.

"Not a word about mom. It was an accident and end of story," Katara demanded. She was not playing round with this. Sokka nodded his head and they both walked through the door. The double doors open to reveal a mass of people.

The upstairs was completely different from the main floor. Grown adults were the main population with several teens. There were also quite a few older adults here too. The men wore clothes like Sokka; silk or nice dress up shirts, dark jeans or slacks, and black shoes. The women wore dresses, some more modest than others. However all the dresses were modest and covered the main areas. The room was carpeted in white with surrounding pale cream walls. There was a large bar in a corner with two people standing by; a bartender and a waiter.

Glancing around at the faces, Katara quickly spotted people here she didn't want here or liked very much. Moving her eyes across the crowd, her eyes fell upon a friendly pair of green eyes. She walked towards the man with Sokka in toe. She could sense everyone's eye on her and knew why.

"It's always good to see you outside the ring and training. But seeing you here is a real treat. Plus that outfit is really drawing attentions," the man proclaimed. His eyebrows were raised slightly and his piecing stare didn't brake for a second.

"I was in the neighbor Matthew," Katara replied with a dull voice. She knew that this conversation wasn't just between them; everyone in the room could hear them.

"Speaking a person's name so freely is unheard of," Matthew protested with a blank face. He was completely right and everyone knew this (expect for Sokka). Before everyone's eyes were fixed on them, but now everyone's body's faced them.

"So is speaking like that to me," Katara snapped with a harsh voice. However it was completely fake and only a handful of people caught it.

They both started laughing and Matthew turned to the man next to him. "I told you that this night was going to be special and one of a kind. The greatest fighter on the east coast has grace us with her presence," he praised to the man. Katara felt the need to correct him on a few points, but fell silent for a moment.

True Katara had never been beaten in a match, fought with people who weighed greater than her, and fought with a burning passion. Even with all this, Katara never felt the need to brag to others. On the other hand, Katara had not stepped inside a ring for a real match for a year. She spent her days training rookies and watching her back. You learn to watch your own back during your time with underground fighting. Secretly Katara missed those days of fighting and would love to go back to the ring.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person Dark Angel," the man said with an accent. Katara couldn't quite place it, but knew he had to be from Europe. Her hand went to meet his, but instead of shaking it, the man brought her up to his mouth. His lips gently caressing her hand as she fought the need to pull away. The man let go of her hand and went back to talking with another man beside him.

Matthew touched her shoulder to grab her attention and led her towards the place where she didn't want to go to. Katara followed him but didn't pay attention. Her mind was drifting back to the man and how he looked familiar. She missed what Matthew said until her said her ring name.

Katara stared into the eyes of 4 people she knew and spoke coldly, "We've already met." Matthew seemed taken back for a moment, but nodded his head and returned to the strange man. This left Katara (with Sokka standing behind her) with 4 people who she knew and didn't want to talk to.

"You never come to these events if you aren't fighting," a girl spoke. Her voice was enough to send chills down your spine, but Katara didn't noticed. Her eyes settled on the girl who spoke, Azula. She wore a mini, body hugging red dress with asymmetrical ruffles. The ruffles stopped at her knees and wore golden heels. This showed off her long pale legs to the world. Her jet black hair laid bone straight across her shoulders and neck.

"How would you know?" Katara questioned with a dull voice. If these people wanted to wrestle her feathers, Katara would stand her ground.

"Azula always goes to these things," another girl beamed with cheeriness in her voice. Tylee was the only person Katara knew who could always be happy and have an aura of pink 24/7. Katara was shocked to see Tylee not wearing a pink dress, but a white one. It had a deep v-neckline and a halter top which tied in the back. The dress came to her mid-thigh and accented her curves. Her silver heels match the silver hoop earrings and bracelet. Her light brown hair was out of its normal braid and lying in ringlets across her back.

"You obviously don't," Katara said. She could tell that Tylee didn't come here often or she just didn't care about the "rules".

"What in the hell makes you think that?" spat another girl in the group. Her grayish golden eyes shone with anger, one of few times they showed emotion. Mai never showed her feelings, it was always I hate this and I hate that. Mai wore a little black dress; this didn't shock Katara at all since Mai's favorite color was black. The dress had a deep v-neck with a halter top. Ruffles detailed throughout the dress and stopped about mid-thigh. The black heels and black earrings went with her black hair.

"Because if both of you went here normally, you would know not to speak to me in that manner. I have more power here than any of you here and most people know this," Katara said. Katara was waiting for the last member to speak because it was he who had the most to say.

"Have you wondered why Zuko hasn't said one word to me yet?" Katara asked Mai and Tylee as she moved her hand to point at Zuko. Their eyes swept over Zuko, waiting for him to respond to her comment. Both were confused on why Zuko was putting up with Katara's comments.

Before anyone could speak, an announcement was made, "May everyone take their seats now for the fight will begin soon." The mass of people slowly made their way towards the balcony which overlooked a large ring. People started seating in certain seats, but Sokka had no idea how they knew where to sit.

The balcony had three rows of seats but stretch out in a circle shape above the main floor. The seats weren't straight behind each other so anyone could see the fight clearly. Katara led them to the front row and sat down. Sokka sat down to the right of Katara as Matthew sat on her left. Likewise, the strange man sat on the other side of Matthew. In the row behind them, Tylee sat between Sokka and the guy who sat down next to Sokka, while Mai sat between Matthew and the strange man. Zuko sat between Sokka and Katara as Azula sat between Katara and Matthew.

The dance lights turned off and the normal lights turned on. Everyone had taken their seats on the balcony and on the main floor. The people on the main floor stood up suddenly and started shouting. Two shirtless men walked out of the two doors and walked towards the ring.

Sokka could tell these were the fighters for the first round. Both were shirtless and had large muscles over their bodies. Scars from combat lined their upper chest. A few healing cuts were on their faces. Both had an air of confidence around them and walked with straight faces; despite the cheers and shouts from the crowd. Sokka realized Katara did the same when she walked; this is where she must have learned it.

"Don't you wish you could be down there right now?" Zuko whisper quietly as he leaned forward so only Katara could hear his comment. Katara felt herself stiff and made her body relax again. She leaned back in her seat so his chin came dangerously close to her cheek.

"Yeah." Katara said quietly and low. She didn't know why she was telling him anything, after all he didn't like her and she didn't like him. For all Katara knew, Zuko would tell anything she said to him to everybody he knew. However, Katara felt comfortable right now and that made her drop her shield.

"Then why don't you go down?" a smooth voice said. The warm breath brush against her cheek and she had to suppress a shiver. The warmth felt amazing compared to the air around them that was filled with alcohol, smoke, and sex.

"I made a promise to someone." whispered Katara quietly. The need to vent and let someone know how she felt crept into her mind, but she quickly shook that from her head. She had no idea what she was doing, she never felt this way about anybody.

"Break the promise then." Zuko said to Katara in a low voice. Katara turned her head slightly so she could make eye contact with Zuko. Her eyes were cold as normal but there was another emotion in them hat Zuko had never seen before. However, he couldn't tell what exactly it was though; guilt, sadness, hurt, or pain.

"I was taught not to, Zuko." Katara said. Her voice trembled a bit but she didn't notice at the time. On the other hand though, Zuko noticed this and was surprised. Katara turned her head back and focused on the fight, which had yet to begin. They were still announcing the fighters.

Katara watched the fight as it began and took notes in her head. She laughed to herself slightly as she watched the two fought each other. Both had bad stances and were no good at their basics. Both were trying to out do each other with fancy moves, but failed to use their basics. To add to her laughter, these people thought that this was a real fight.

"What do you think, Dark Angel?" Azula asked over the shouts and cheers. This drew everyone's attention around them as they awaited her answer.

Katara sighed deeply before she spoke, "These aren't real fighters. Their stances are narrow and aren't steady. Anyone could easily knock them down if they took out one their legs. They may have "tight" moves, but they have yet to use any of the basics they were taught. Both are not patient, which can be a good or a bad thing; in this case is a bad thing. They are too busy with trying to do their moves that they are leaving prefect openings to take them down."

Everyone fell silent as they took in what Katara said. They began to watch the two fighters with careful eyes to see what Katara had said. Katara leaned back and shut her eyes. This fight was terrible and she wanted it to end quickly. The main reason why she never came to these fights after she left was this; she couldn't stand watching these people make mistake after mistake. It bugged her to death that these people used terrible skills. Katara had been trained in the same place as these people, but Katara learn more quickly and fought harder than anyone else.

She felt a hand be place on her arm and thought about breaking their wrist. Her eyes opened slightly to see Matthew leaning over. His green eyes bored into her ocean blue eyes. She knew that there was something between them, but not a relationship.

"Are you alright?" Matthew said with a caring voice that only Katara and Zuko heard. Katara gave him a slight smile and a slight nodded of her head.

"I am alright, just annoyed with the fighters." Katara said. Katara knew that Matthew would be there for her when she needed a shoulder to lean on. She watched Matthew turn his attention back towards the man from earlier. The man was familiar and it was bugging her that she couldn't place it.

"You two seem pretty close for co-fighters." Zuko said with a hint of something in his voice. Katara knew that she should smirk and come up with some smartass comment, but she couldn't do it. Her head turn towards Zuko and looked into his eyes for the first time, actually looked into his eyes and saw the depths.

"He was my trainer…my friend…" Katara trailed off. She should've just given him a smartass comment or use sarcasm, but no she had to be nice and give him part of the truth. She realized then that she was swimming in dangerous and unknown waters for her, she had never opened up to a person before. Her mother had been her best friend, but since that day, she was left alone in the world.

Zuko leaned forward, to the same position they had been in earlier. His chin hovered above her shoulder and was barely separated from her face.

"They are thinking about cutting either the basketball or soccer team." Zuko said. He watched her face light up with confusion and something else that he couldn't place. He thought that it was anger, but it looked more like amusement.

"Which would you prefer to be cut, soccer or basketball?" Katara asked. She would hate it if they cut the soccer team since that was her true love. Katara wonder what sport he would pick. She watched as the thought swam around in his eyes.

"Probably basketball, my love is for soccer. The field and sky…" Zuko began but trailed off. Katara knew exactly what he was trying to say.

"Feeling the wind blowing against you, the sun beating against your skin or the rain falling on the ground, the mud stains on your jersey and the cuts from slide tackling on your legs." Katara whisper slowly. Her eyes shone with happiness as she spoke about soccer. Zuko noticed her passion as she spoke and was surprised.

"We have a winner!" a voice yelled from the ring. Katara and Zuko turned their attention towards the ring. One lay on the floor, trying to sit up while the other one had his arm raised in the air.

* * *

**OMG did Zuko just be nice to Katara?! Was Katara really differenet to Zuko?! OMG the whole world is being turn upside down! **

**Just kidding. Thought I might shake things up a bit though in this chapter . Review please :)**


	9. Chapter 7

***I do not own any of the avatar characters (besides Matthew) or the show Avatar the Last Airbender: because if I did, Katara and Zuko would have been together.**

***All pictures of the vehicles and dresses can be found on my profile.**

* * *

_**Previous:**_

"They are thinking about cutting either the basketball or soccer team." Zuko said. He watched her face light up with confusion and something else that he couldn't place. He thought that it was anger, but it looked more like amusement.

"Which would you prefer to be cut, soccer or basketball?" Katara asked. She would hate it if they cut the soccer team since that was her true love. Katara wonder what sport he would pick. She watched as the thought swam around in his eyes.

"Probably basketball, my love is for soccer. The field and sky…" Zuko began but trailed off. Katara knew exactly what he was trying to say.

"Feeling the wind blowing against you, the sun beating against your skin or the rain falling on the ground, the mud stains on your jersey and the cuts from slide tackling on your legs." Katara whisper slowly. Her eyes shone with happiness as she spoke about soccer. Zuko noticed her passion as she spoke and was surprised.

"We have a winner!" a voice yelled from the ring. Katara and Zuko turned their attention towards the ring. One lay on the floor, trying to sit up while the other one had his arm raised in the air.

* * *

**_Now:_**

Cheers rose up from the crowd of people and they started to flood the ring. They were trying to get a closer look or touch the winner. It sickened her stomach, these people did not care about injuries or possible fatal injuries, and all they cared about was money. People can place bets of each fighter and they do not care about their health.

Azula remember the first night she came her to watch a fight. Her father had dragged Zuko and her down here to watch a fight. He always wanted Zuko to become a fighter and win him more money. She was only 13 years old when she had to watch these fights. Azula could remember that night in every detail.

A man about 18 years old walked out to the ring with a light smug look on his face. She turned her head towards the second door and gasped when she saw the other fighter. A girl her same age stood there with a blank face. Azula noticed that her chocolate hair was in a ponytail and her blue eyes were dull. She wore black tight sweatpants and a dark blue tank top. Her bare feet moved across the floor towards the ring as her eyes focused on one spot.

"The Death Dealer…" the man in the ring said. His hand pointed into the direction of the man and cheers rose in the crowd. "And Dark Angel!" his voice yelled. Azula heard the crowd roar with excitement as she walked into the ring.

She turned her head towards her brother to see his eyes on her. Both were confused on why a little girl would be fighting an older person. "Zuko…" Azula asked in a quiet voice. She felt like she was going to be sick if she was going to watch the fight.

"She has to be good if they are putting her against him." Zuko whispered. In reality, he was just as confused as his sister was, but he was not about to let her see his fear.

They watch as the fight started. The Death Dealer threw punch after punch at the Dark Angel and each time the Dark Angel moved her body a little to miss the hit. Zuko watch as she moved as little as possible and used his strength against him. The Death Dealer had been the only one throwing the hits and it was taking its toll on him. His punches were getting slower and sloppier. Zuko held his breath as the Dark Angel kick his legs from under him.

The Death Dealer fell to his knee and looked up in time to see a round-about house kick to his head. The siblings watched as The Death Dealer fell to the floor with blood dipping out of his mouth. The crowd roared with excitement and cheers soared to the ceiling. However, the two fighters failed to hear them and keep focus.

Azula watched as The Death Dealer stood up quickly and threw quick punches at the Dark Angel. She moved her body in the opposite spot as the punches landed. However, she was to slow as one punch hit her gut. They watched as the Dark Angel hunched over and The Death Dealer pull his arm back.

The sound of bones braking filled the warehouse. Azula tore her eyes away and held her stomach; the feeling of throwing up was strong. Zuko, on the other hand, kept his eyes on her as she fell to ground in a heap. Her face was tightened in pain as her arm wrap around her middle. Anger flooded his senses, how could these people be so heartless? A 13-year-old girl was in pain from broken ribs and everyone was cheering!

He watched as The Death Dealer faced the crowd and threw his arms in the air. The cheering grew in strength each time he did this. Zuko saw out of the corner of his eye, the Dark Angel standing up slowly. She used her hands and arms to push herself up and now face the back of The Death Dealer.

The Dark Angel walked towards The Death Dealer and pulled her arm back. Her punch landed on his lower back as he yelled out in surprise and pain. However, she was far from done with The Death Dealer. She threw punch after punch at him, hitting him every time in a different spot.

In a matter of seconds, The Death Dealer laid on the ground motionless with blood surrounding him, with the Dark Angel standing above him. In that moment, Zuko knew why everyone called her Dark Angel. She stood there as an angel would, her beauty capturing you and eyes holding yours. Instead of the light surrounding you and bring you back to the world, the dark wraps around you and swallows you whole. She was truly an Angel, a Dark Angel.

Azula and Zuko stopped daydreaming as people stood around them. They looked at each other and knew that they had shared the same memory. Azula got up and walked out towards the main room, Mai and Tylee followed in her steps. Zuko looked around and saw Katara looking at the ring. Her eyes seem to checking if the fighter was ok and stayed at the ring. He noticed almost everyone had left to the main room as he made his way over to her silent form.

He stood next to her and looked out to ring. The memory played over and over his mind as he stared off. It had almost killed him that day to see her body broken. Zuko felt Katara lean over the railing rest her arms on it. He followed her pattern and now they were both leaning on the railing with their shoulders barely touching each other.

"All those people have no idea what this does to a person." Katara said finally to break the silence. "All of broken bones…the bruises…the blood lost…the scars…" Katara expressed. The last part came out in a whisper, but Zuko still heard it.

"Physical or emotional scars?" Zuko asked as he looked over the ring. He knew that the subject was touchy and did not want to make her feel pressured to say anything. His eyes went wider as he thought that. Why should he care about her? They were enemies and hated each other, why was he being was nice to her?

Katara gave a sad laugh and looked down. "You are trained to block all emotions and feel nothing. It's the only way to survive in this world."

"Every emotion…even pain?" Zuko questioned her. Katara looked up Zuko and saw his face in pain. His eyes were soft as he looked at the ring.

"Do you remember your fight against The Death Dealer?" Zuko asked. Katara nodded her head slowly. That fight had been one of her few where she let go of her control.

"When he broke your ribs, you went to ground in pain. Your face was clearly in pain and everyone cheered. No one cared that you were hurt or laying there in pain. I never thought that you would get up, but when you stood up and faced him, I thought I was dreaming. No one should've gotten up from that hit." Zuko claimed. Katara was going to say something, but Zuko kept going.

"When you walked over to him and pulled your arm back, I thought that you would hit him once and walk away. However, you did not do that. You hit him repeatedly until he was not moving. You stood there above him with no emotion in your eyes or on your face." Zuko voiced quietly.

"I let go of my control and let the anger take over." Katara said as she continued to look at Zuko.

"Anger or pain?" Zuko questioned for the first time as he looked at her face.

"If you let the pain take over, then you are giving up and falling into the darkness. If you let the anger take over, then you are getting strength and blinded by rage. There is a difference between the two; you can never let the pain win." Katara indicated.

The two of them stood there and looked at each other. Katara noticed for the first time tonight that he wore black pants with black shoes and a red button up shirt. The three top buttons were undone and showed off some of his chest. His black hair was a mess as usual and Katara got suddenly felt the need to run her hands across his body and tangle them in his hair. His golden eyes were soft as they swept over her face and body. Katara usually hit someone when their eyes trailed over her body, but she could not bring herself to interrupt this peaceful moment.

Zuko looked over her body and instantly approved of her clothing. The black boots hugged her legs and gave her more height. The dress sinfully hugged her curves and hid in parts of her skin where his hands wanted to touch. Her belly button was visible and he had the need to peel back her black dress to see what lay below. Her hair was falling loose from its confinement and hang by her neck. He looked at her eyes only to see them guarded.

"Dark Angel!" a voice yelled from the main room. Both of the benders turned their heads towards the source to see Matthew. Zuko almost growled when he saw his face, while Katara was surprised.

"I think you better get going if you don't want to be in a match." Matthew spoke quickly as he looked at Katara. Her eyes went wide for a moment before confusion set in her mind. However, Katara did not dwell on it for long and walked towards Matthew. Zuko followed quietly behind her. However, Matthew grabbed his arm and held him still as Katara kept walking.

Katara moved silently through the room as she looked for her brother. She eyes swept over the room quickly and spotted him near the door. Katara made her way towards him and grabbed his arm. Katara was pulling Sokka towards the door when she heard her name. However, Katara ignored it, opened the door, and pulled Sokka with her.

As they made their way down the steps, Katara remember that Zuko was behind her at one moment and gone the next moment.

* * *

*I want to thank everyone who has reviewed this story.

**Caweesh, 1994omi, Miluiel-Apsenniel, Mimikurume, datsoundgood, BonitaChickia, Handerra, Life Is Full Of Music, Anime Donna, HeartBreaker640, gothic satan-wolf, zutara011, BobsRules, roxy, Akatsuki'sBloodyNekoNinja, MissBrown22241, amber, Z1ZYX, mangaka-sensi, adriattic, Sakurachan623, wolfiegirl93, zutara-vampirepirate, Harmony Nights, AvatarAiris, Craz Lollipop-Imp, PowerMadAvatarGirl, listenxwhereitsquiet, apolla101, Allyon Everstone, EndlessBack, clairelovesedward, HimeIchigoYuki, MoonTears8, beybaska, angelthewriter, LFC, IheartZuko, CleverWriter2416, immortalxdiary, Ms. Maria and Ms. Kiera, Number22, Sapphire, and kawaiiitahina123**


	10. Chapter 8

*I do not own any of the avatar characters (besides Matthew) or the show Avatar the Last Airbender: because if I did, Katara and Zuko would have been together.

*All pictures of the vehicles and dresses are on my profile.

* * *

**Previous:**

The two of them stood there and looked at each other. Katara noticed for the first time tonight that he wore black pants with black shoes and a red button up shirt. The three top buttons were undone and showed off some of his chest. His black hair was a mess as usual and Katara got suddenly felt the need to run her hands across his body and tangle them in his hair. His golden eyes were soft as they swept over her face and body. Katara usually hit someone when their eyes trailed over her body, but she could not bring herself to interrupt this peaceful moment.

Zuko looked over her body and instantly approved of her clothing. The black boots hugged her legs and gave her more height. The dress sinfully hugged her curves and hid in parts of her skin where his hands wanted to touch. Her belly button was visible and he had the need to peel back her black dress to see what lay below. Her hair was falling loose from its confinement and hang by her neck. He looked at her eyes only to see them guarded.

"Dark Angel!" a voice yelled from the main room. Both of the benders turned their heads towards the source to see Matthew. Zuko almost growled when he saw his face, while Katara was surprised.

"I think you better get going if you don't want to be in a match." Matthew spoke quickly as he looked at Katara. Her eyes went wide for a moment before confusion set in her mind. However, Katara did not dwell on it for long and walked towards Matthew. Zuko followed quietly behind her. However, Matthew grabbed his arm and held him still as Katara kept walking.

Katara moved silently through the room as she looked for her brother. She eyes swept over the room quickly and spotted him near the door. Katara made her way towards him and grabbed his arm. Katara was pulling Sokka towards the door when she heard her name. However, Katara ignored it, opened the door, and pulled Sokka with her.

As they made their way down the steps, Katara remember that Zuko was behind her at one moment and gone the next moment.

* * *

**Now:**

_***Back with Zuko & Matthew***_

The two of them stood there, sizing each other up. The tension could easily be felt between them, but both were oblivious to it.

"What do you want?" Zuko sneered to the older male. He was not in the mood to put up with this. However, he wasn't going to back down without a fight. Zuko stopped for a second and thought about it for a while. Why was he getting all worked up about Katara? He could care or less what Matthew said about Katara. That is what he thought anyway.

"Stay away from her." Matthew said. It was a clear warning to Zuko and his tone made it all too clear. Zuko bored his eyes into Matthew's eyes as they glared at each other.

"This is none of your business, so stay out of it."

"She is more my business than yours."

"And why is that? I see her more than you do."

"You have no idea who she is or what her story is."

This made Zuko stop and think harder. Of course, he knew Katara; he ran a background check on her and made a few calls. His frown became more apparent as he grew in deeper thought.

"You can't know a person's life by doing some background check and making a few phone calls." Matthew hissed. He was not about to let this person get near Katara; when his plan was to hurt her. Matthew knew that Katara could hold her own ground, but her heart was a different story. It was hard to get into her heart, but once you were in, you were in control.

"You wanna bet?" Zuko asked back. He knew the basic information about her; birthday, age, her hometown, when she moved to America, her dad's job, her talent in soccer, basketball, and fighting, and he knew her mother is dead. What else was there to know besides her likes and dislikes?

"When you ran your background check, you got very little information about her. All you got was the boring details: birth-date, age, place of birth, and when she moved to America. When that wasn't enough you had to make some calls. However, those didn't get you far either because people don't much about her or they wont talk." Matthew said as he kept shifting his weight to either foot.

"What's it to you?" Zuko hissed to Matthew. His temper was getting shorter with each passing second. He wasn't quite sure who this person was, but he knew that he was someone important in the fighting gang.

"I have known Katara since she was a kid, longer than you. I know her weaknesses, strengthens, faults, likes, pet peeves, and dislikes. I know more about her than you will ever know in your life time." Matthew sneered to Zuko. This person was not going to be a good influence in Katara's life and that was the last thing she needed; more trouble.

"Well I'm going to change that very soon."

"Over my dead body."

"That can be arranged."

"Two things are wrong with that theory. First, I would love to see you try and second, Katara would hate you forever and might even try to kill you." Matthew smirked. He knew that he could probably take anyone Zuko would send after him; after all, he was a trained killer. In addition, the fact that Katara nearly killed a man who broke three ribs on him. He remembered having to pull her off the person so he wouldn't die.

"Why would she care? She told me that you weren't anything but a fellow fighter."

"I would think anyone would care if their lover was hurt."

Zuko snapped. He shoved Matthew against the wall and pressed his weight against his. His arm was pushing against his throat as he glared at Matthew. "She is not your lover." He spat the word lover out as if it tasted horrible.

Matthew tried to speak but the arm only applied more pressure. "I will make her mine and you will not stop me." Zuko proclaimed. He let his arm pull back a little back to allow him to talk.

"No matter how much you know about her, you will never be her so-called boyfriend. She doesn't like your type." Matthew said back.

Zuko glared at Matthew for a while, then he back away from him. He walked out of the room and into the main room. His eyes fall on his sister's and he made his way towards her.

**************************************************************************

The drive home was quiet but no one really seemed to care. However, the silence was broken when one of them spoke up. "What was up with Katara?" one of them asked. Her focus was still on her nails, but she was waiting for someone to answer.

"What do you mean, Mai?" another girl asked as he turned her head. Both sat in the back seats so it wasn't hard on her neck to look as Mai.

"She acted like she own the world." Mai spat with disgust. She hated Katara for reasons that no one truly knew. She stole Kuzan's attention and she did not even like him. Mai could not get over the fact that everyone had talked about Katara and she grabbed all of their attentions. It really bugged her that Coach (Pakku) had taken a liking to her on her first day. However, what really made her blood boil was the fact that Kuzan had a crush on her.

"It was her world." Azula said from the passenger seat.

"Yea, and did you see how everyone treated her?" Tylee said as she broke out in a smile. "It was as if they were mindless robots!" Tylee boosted.

"Robots who didn't want to offend her." Azula commented.

"She seemed to know her fighting style and skills pretty well." Tylee said more to herself.

"She just talks the talk. She doesn't walk the walk." Mai sneered as she picked her nails.

"If that was remotely true, then she wouldn't be the greatest fighter on the east coast." Zuko said. His eyes were on the road but they seemed distant; as if looking for something. Silence filled the car again; no one had a comment after he spoke. Tylee was just fine humming to herself and tapping her foot to the beat. Mai thought that they equally hated Katara so there was no need to explain her points. Azula, however, could see a difference in her brother.

As they drove up their long driveway, Azula studied her brother more closely. Something was different with him and she could not quite place it.

*********************************************************************************************

Their car ride home was not quiet at all. Sokka had been questioning Katara nonstop since they had got into the car. Katara leaned her body back into the seat after about the first 2 minutes. She answered all the questions as best as she could. Her voice was a drone; no emotions could be found in it. Sokka was too busy asking questions to notice the difference in her voice.

Her thoughts kept drifting back to the moment Zuko and her shared. She remembered how sexy he looked and how she was caught in the moment with him. His chest was prefect from what she saw and she was dieing to see what lay below the shirt. His hair was begging her to run her hands through it and tangle them in the blackness. His golden eyes were soft when they swept over her face and body.

Katara shook these thoughts from her head. It wasn't a moment between them if one person had feelings, it had to be feelings shared on both sides. Katara was wide eyed after this thought; someone had to have feelings for the other. Did that mean that she had feelings for Zuko that weren't hate or rage?

That was impossible, Katara thought quickly. She hated Zuko and that was the only feeling she had for him. However, why did she hate him? This question earned Katara a confused face and her face to go white. She had many reasons, Katara thought.

There were reasons why she hated Zuko…………weren't there? Katara mentally slap herself and focused on the passing buildings. She went over the list in her head over and over again on why she hated Zuko.

1.) He was a jackass

2.) He called her a tramp

3.) He had a nasty temper

4.) He called her a bitch

5.)He was way too cocky

Her list became shorter and shorter every time she repeated the list. She couldn't get his face and body out of her head. She enjoyed their conversation they had during the fight. It felt so natural and not forced like most talks Katara had.

* * *

*I want to thank everyone who has reviewed this story.

**Caweesh, 1994omi, Miluiel-Apsenniel, Mimikurume, datsoundgood, BonitaChickia, Handerra, Life Is Full Of Music, Anime Donna, Mystic-Dream, gothic satan-wolf, zutara011, BobsRules, roxy, Akatsuki'sBloodyNekoNinja, MissBrown22241, amber, Z1ZYX, mangaka-sensi, adriattic, Sakurachan623, wolfiegirl93, zutara-vampirepirate, Harmony Nights, AvatarAiris, Craz Lollipop-Imp, PowerMadAvatarGirl, listenxwhereitsquiet, apolla101, Allyon Everstone, EndlessBack, clairelovesedward, HimeIchigoYuki, MoonTears8, beybaska, angelthewriter, LFC, IheartZuko, CleverWriter2416, immortalxdiary, Ms. Maria and Ms. Kiera, Number22, Sapphire, kawaiiitahina123, ShySweet-luver, Inkaide, Serene6868, loggie831, Handerra, HeartBreaker640, and Anime Donna.**


	11. Chapter 9

***I do not own any of Avatar characters (besides Matthew) or the show Avatar the Last Airbender: because if I did, Katara and Zuko would have been together.**

***All pictures of vehicles and dresses are on my profile.**

* * *

_Previous:_

Her thoughts kept drifting back to the moment Zuko and her shared. She remembered how sexy he looked and how she was caught in the moment with him. His chest was prefect from what she saw and she was dieing to see what lay below the shirt. His hair was begging her to run her hands through it and tangle them in the blackness. His golden eyes were soft when they swept over her face and body.

Katara shook these thoughts from her head. It wasn't a moment between them if one person had feelings, it had to be feelings shared on both sides. Katara was wide eyed after this thought; someone had to have feelings for the other. Did that mean that she had feelings for Zuko that weren't hate or rage?

That was impossible, Katara thought quickly. She hated Zuko and that was the only feeling she had for him. However, why did she hate him? This question earned Katara a confused face and her face to go white. She had many reasons, Katara thought.

There were reasons why she hated Zuko………….weren't there? Katara mentally slap herself and focused on the passing buildings. She went over the list in her head over and over again on why she hated Zuko.

1.) He was a jackass

2.) He called her a tramp

3.) He had a nasty temper

4.) He called her a bitch

5.) He was way too cocky

Her list became shorter and shorter every time she repeated the list. She couldn't get his face and body out of her head. She enjoyed their conversation they had during the fight. It felt so natural and not forced like most talks Katara had.

* * *

_Now:_

It was quite, not a sound could be heard. Not the sound of birds singing outside or the sound of cars driving by. The trees and bushes stood still and silent. Not even the annoying neighbor's dog was barking. It was a different kind of silence that met your ears; not a peaceful one but not an eerie silence either. That could be why she had slept for so long.

The girl looked over at her clock and groaned. It was almost noon and she had just now woke up. She rubbed her eyes and sat up slowly, looking around her room. The girl got out of bed and started for the bathroom, when her cell phone started ringing.

The girl looked at the number and frowned a bit. "Hello?" she answered.

"Hey Katara! This is Toph; we have chemistry and gym together."

"Oh yeah…how did you get this number?"

"From Suki, who got the number from Sokka."

"That makes sense, I guess."

"Meet me at the _Shan Hotel _on 126th NW Street in 15 minutes."

Katara's eyebrows rose a little when she heard this. "Now why would I do that?"

"Because it is going to bug the crap out of you if you don't come."

Katara laughed a little and agreed. The girls hung up and Katara got ready to meet up with Toph. She threw on sweatpants and a baggy sweatshirt with her old Nike shoes. She walked down stairs to see her grandmother sitting in the chair, knitting something. Kana glanced up and sighed deeply.

Katara walked out the door and into the garage. Her baby was sitting there in full beauty. The black Aston Martin Rapide (**Katara's Car on Profile**) was a piece of work and Katara loved it.

*****************************

Katara pulled up to the hotel and couldn't help but smile. She loved taking her baby out because she would get stares and attention. She was about to get out when she saw Toph running towards her. Katara rolled down the window and nodded at Toph.

"I take it that you don't want to take your Aston out with me riding shotgun?" Toph said quietly.

"It's not you. I just don't like other people in her." Katara said as she looked at her sad eyes.

"That's ok. You can park it with Jake and we can walk there." Toph answered.

Katara nodded and parked the car in front of the hotel. Toph and Katara walked quietly together with Toph leading the way. Toph led them to a store and pulled Katara in before she could read the sign.

"I know you don't like shopping, but I need someone's opinion on my clothes. People who work at stores just say everything looks good because they don't want to hurt my feelings."

"But why me" Katara asked as she looked at Toph. She was quite surprised when Toph had led them all this way.

"You may not think you need other people around you Katara, but you do. Friends are all we have to depend on these days and you look like you could use a good day without the fucking school drama or stupid Zuko." Toph answered with a sigh. She looked serious as she spoke and Katara knew she spoke of the truth.

"We need some different clothes because I don't think soccer jerseys and sweats are going to work for either one of us." Toph said as she smiled.

Katara walked over to a rack of clothes and started shifting through them. Toph followed behind her and started telling her what kinds to get. Eventually Toph pushed Katara into a changing room, tossed her some clothes, and went to the other one across from Katara.

Katara came out first and looked in the mirror. The blue jeans hugged her curves and slipped into the black knee length boots she was wearing. The boots had a little heel, but it was very small. The blood red tank top showed off her cleavage and the white/grayish coat hid her scar. The coat stopped a little before her waist and hugged her body. She had left the coat unbutton so you could see the shirt. Katara turned her head to see Toph walk out and stopped right beside Katara.

She wore black jeans with green sandals that had the earth kingdom symbol on the top. The jeans hugged her butt and showed off her legs. The green tank top was almost hidden by a light brown coat that had a fur hood. The coat stopped at her waist and was zipped up almost all the way, so you could only see about 2 inches of the green tank top underneath.

"You look good." Katara said with an uneasy voice. She was not use to this kind of thing and did not know what to say.

"You look pretty damn good yourself too." Toph said with a complete serious face. They both looked at each other and started laughing. Katara couldn't remember a time where she laughed for fun and it wasn't forced.

"Now we need some earrings." Toph said as she walked away. Katara thought to herself as she followed Toph. She couldn't believe that she was hating this. Katara always hated shopping and acting girly, but somehow…this felt ok.

Toph stopped in front of a counter and told Katara to pick some stuff for both of them. Katara looked through the earrings and found a prefect set of earrings for Toph. They matched her shirt and shoes perfectly and went well with her skin tone, Katara thought. The earrings were round ovals that were about an inch and a half long and about an inch wide. Katara gave the earrings to Toph and searched for her own. Shortly, Katara found a pair that was blood red and dangled a bit for her ear. They were kind of in a heart shape but looked more like a blob of red.

Toph grabbed a green hair band and pulled her hair into a high ponytail with her bangs hanging loose in her face. Katara followed her suit and pulled all her hair behind her with a red band.

"Now we are ready to go." Toph announced as she put her hands on her hips. "Lets go get something to eat, I'm starving."

*********************************************

The girl snarled as she watched Toph and Katara eat their lunch from across the street. She was ruining everything she had worked so hard to get. Katara needed to be taken out! Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the person she was waiting for walking towards her. Mai was hoping that she could make Zuko jealous when she was seen with Kuzan.

Mai stood up and walked towards Kuzan, swaying her hips from side to side. Her skirt came to a stop way higher than her mid thigh. If she were to bend over, the whole world would be able to see everthing she wore underneath…while lack of what was underneath. A black band wrapped around her waist and a red skirt flowed down from it. She wore 3-inch red heels to make her legs longer and sexier. The red tank top ended an inch maybe below her boobs and the neck cut down low enough to see almost everything if you looked down it. Mai's black flawless hair was down and went to her elbows.

Mai walked up to Kuzan and gave him a hug while she pushed her body into his. Kuzan took a deep breath and nearly choked when he smelled her perfume. He couldn't believe his eyes when he had walked towards her earlier. Kuzan had never seen Mai dressed up like this before, and he was not complaining.

Mai looked over his shoulder to see Zuko walking towards them with his eyes on the ground. She smirked as she spoke, "Oh Kuzan, you shouldn't really say that about me." Her voice was loud and drew people's attention from every direction.

Before Kuzan had to chance to say anything, Mai brushed her lips against his and wrapped her arms around his neck. Kuzan was shocked, but yet happy to see Mai getting over Zuko. He slid his hands to her waist and yanked her closer as he pushed his tongue deep in her mouth.

"Can you say slut much?" a voice said and Mai ripped her head away and stared at the person.

"You are just jealous!" Mai sneered as she flipped her hair and looked back at Kuzan. However, Kuzan back up and seemed to realize that they were in the middle of town.

"Jealous of what? You? You are worth the time of day, Mai." The person said as they turned their attention back to the other person with them.

"At least I'm a normal person!" Mai yelled as she looked back at the girl. Toph looked back at Mai and glared. She shoved her seat back and walked towards Mai with anger in her steps.

Katara watched the scene before her and kept a close eye on Kuzan. Katara highly doubted that Mai had a weapon on her but Kuzan was a firebender.

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?!" Toph asked with anger in her voice. Katara got up slowly but stay close to the table, knowing Toph could handle her own against one of them, but not Kuzan and Mai together.

"My family supports my every decision and I see them almost every day. They support my choice of my use of weapons. I can at least see what I'm wearing, so I don't look like a mutt!" Mai yelled back as she took a step towards Toph.

Katara saw tears form in Toph's eyes, but only a few fell onto her cheeks. "Toph is more of a person then you can ever hope to be Mai!" Katara shouted as she walked towards the group. People had start gathering around to see what the yelling was about. By now, most people had distaste for Mai on their faces and pity for Toph.

"You stay the fuck out of this bitch!" Mai screamed as she pointed at Katara. Anger and rage were filling Mai's eyes and soon she was beginning to see red and lots of it. "You don't belong here with us! No one wants a little helpless blind girl moping around at our school! You don't have the right to belong on this earth!" Mai screamed at Toph.

Toph had completely shut down and looked hopeless as she started crying. Katara glared at Mai and flick her wrist towards Mai. A jet of water shot towards Mai with speed.

Kuzan matched the jet of water with a column of fire before it hit Mai. Katara let the water fall to the ground and her eyes widen at Kuzan's actions. Mai looked surprised then her smile became evil as she moved closer to Kuzan.

"She just tried to kill me!" Mai exclaimed to Kuzan.

"Back down Katara." Kuzan said as he got into his firebending stance. Katara looked back at Toph and the tears falling off her cheeks made the decision for Katara. Katara went into her own stance and use about to waterbend when Zuko went in front of her. He stood there between Katara and Kuzan with his attention set at Kuzan.

"Back the fuck off Kuzan before you do something stupid!" shouted Zuko.

Kuzan looked between Katara and Zuko to see the same look on their faces. Slowly he stood up, grabbed Mai by her waist, and walked away from the crowd. Zuko walked over to Toph and looked at her with pity in his eyes.

"Don't Zuko…I know what you are going to say and it isn't you fault. We all know Mai has a thing for you and I am the weakest person. I make a get target for her and her comments." Toph sobbed as she looked at the ground.

"I'll take you home." Zuko respond as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"Actually, I will Zuko." Katara voiced as she walked towards them. Zuko looked over at Katara and his eyes widen with surprise. "We were shopping today and I think I should take her home since some of her bags are in my car." Katara finished.

Zuko didn't respond at first since he was too busy looking at Katara. Mai couldn't hold a candle to Katara, and now he understood what the big deal was about Katara. The jeans were hugging her sinful legs and the boats were killing Zuko. He always had a soft spot for girls in knee length boots. Her high ponytail was begging him to run his fingers through it and the earrings dangled at the prefect length. Zuko knew Katara preferred the color blue, but she looked sexy in red. Her skin matched it perfectly.

Zuko thought about what her skin would look like against his sheets at home. Her deep brown hair spread out on his pillow as she looked at him with lust filled eyes. He wondered if her skin was as smooth as it looked. His hands molding the sides of her body, pulling her closer to his body. He wondered what color her nipples would be and how they would taste.

"Zuko?" a voice asked and it was enough to bring him out of his daydream.

"What did you say?" Zuko asked in a daze.

"I told Katara that you needed to come home with me but I wanted to ride in her car. I looked back over at you and I could feel your body was different than normally." Toph said as she looked at Zuko with concern.

Katara had told Toph that she would take her home, which would mean that Toph would get to ride in her baby. Now Toph said Zuko had to come home with her…that meant Zuko would be in her baby too. Oh shit…what did she get herself into?

"Are you ok with that Katara? I mean, ok with Zuko tagging along?" Toph asked quietly. Her eyes still held tears in them and she looked like a broken china doll. Katara nodded her head and started walking back to the hotel.

She grabbed the keys out of her pocket and unlocked the car. She heard someone gasp behind her and knew that it was Zuko. She turned her head and saw his eyes glazed over with an emotion, but she could not place it. Katara couldn't resisted teasing him.

She leaned against the car and tilted her head. "So Zuko, which view do you like better; the car or me?"

Zuko snapped out of his trance and smirked at Katara. He walked closer to Katara and put his arms on the car, trapping Katara between them. "Do you really want me to answer that question?"

Katara nodded her head and tried not to inhale deeply. She could smell everything on him when he was that close and she did not want to let him know she enjoyed it.

"Well I guess I'm going to disappoint you." Zuko whispered as he leaned away and walked towards the passenger door.

"I don't think so Hothead! I call shotgun." Toph yelled as she ran towards them. Zuko grumbled and got into the back seat. Toph slid into the passenger seat and Katara got into the car.

* * *

*I want to thank everyone who has reviewed this story.

**Caweesh, 1994omi, Miluiel-Apsenniel, Mimikurume, datsoundgood, BonitaChickia, Handerra, Life Is Full Of Music, Anime Donna, Mystic-Dream, gothic satan-wolf, zutara011, BobsRules, roxy, Akatsuki'sBloodyNekoNinja, MissBrown22241, amber, Z1ZYX, mangaka-sensi, adriattic, Sakurachan623, wolfiegirl93, zutara-vampirepirate, Harmony Nights, AvatarAiris, Craz Lollipop-Imp, PowerMadAvatarGirl, listenxwhereitsquiet, apolla101, Allyon Everstone, EndlessBack, clairelovesedward, HimeIchigoYuki, MoonTears8, beybaska, angelthewriter, LFC, IheartZuko, CleverWriter2416, immortalxdiary, Ms. Maria and Ms. Kiera, Number22, Sapphire, kawaiiitahina123, ShySweet-luver, Inkaide, Serene6868, loggie831, Handerra, HeartBreaker640, Anime Donna, chibi-fire-girl, RebellAngell21, scooter, Dancing Water, zutarababe, WriteroftheRevolution, Waterbender Nina, kokoro420, and vicious-fluffy-bunny-llama.**


	12. Chapter 10

***I do not own any of Avatar characters (besides Matthew) or the show Avatar the Last Airbender: because if I did, Katara and Zuko would have been together.**

***All pictures of vehicles and dresses are on my profile.**

***Congrats to Allyon Everstone for being the 1st person to review. Cyber Cookie for you!**

* * *

Previous:

"Are you ok with that Katara? I mean, ok with Zuko tagging along?" Toph asked quietly. Her eyes still held tears in them and she looked like a broken china doll. Katara nodded her head and started walking back to the hotel.

She grabbed the keys out of her pocket and unlocked the car. She heard someone gasp behind her and knew that it was Zuko. She turned her head and saw his eyes glazed over with an emotion, but she could not place it. Katara couldn't resisted teasing him.

She leaned against the car and tilted her head. "So Zuko, which view do you like better; the car or me?"

Zuko snapped out of his trance and smirked at Katara. He walked closer to Katara and put his arms on the car, trapping Katara between them. "Do you really want me to answer that question?"

Katara nodded her head and tried not to inhale deeply. She could smell everything on him when he was that close and she did not want to let him know she enjoyed it.

"Well I guess I'm going to disappoint you." Zuko whispered as he leaned away and walked towards the passenger door.

"I don't think so Hothead! I call shotgun." Toph yelled as she ran towards them. Zuko grumbled and got into the back seat. Toph slid into the passenger seat and Katara got into the car.

* * *

Now:

"You can come inside Katara." Toph said as she got out of the car. Katara thought about the offer and declined it after telling her that she had to get home. Toph frowned a bit before she nodded her head and walked up the sidewalk to the huge house.

Zuko looked at Katara before getting out of the car. "She will not be ok tomorrow at school." Zuko spoke quietly. Katara glanced back with her eyebrows raised.

"This has happen before?" Katara questioned as she gave Zuko all of her attention.

"Sadly, yes it has. Toph takes it hard but I have never seen her completely shut down before. Then again, I haven't seen someone rip her that bad before either." Zuko thought out aloud. "She will need time to heal." Zuko finished.

"How come you guys are so close?" Katara asked.

"Why? You jealous?" Zuko smirked at her.

"Hardly. You guys don't really talk to each other at school and today you guys seem like best buds." Katara responded.

"Toph's family is very powerful in the Earth Kingdom and we have met several times at the United Conferences, were all the nations ambassadors meet. She has changed greatly from when we first met. Toph has never been close to her family, I even saw that when we were kids. She was a quiet girl and kept to herself because no one would truly listen to her. Long story short, we started talking and we became friends I guess. She made a ground rule in our relationship though once we started going to the same school district; we were to act as if we didn't know each other." Zuko explained as his eyes looked far away, as if he was remembering the scene.

"Hmmmm. I think you should get out now. Toph is waiting for you by the door." Katara sighed as she leaned back into the seat and started the car again.

Zuko was silent as he slipped out of the car and walked towards the house. Once Katara saw both go inside the house, she pulled away and started her way home.

"Get out of my fucking way before I beat the crap out of you!" a voice yelled. Katara opened her eyes and moaned as she heard the voice. She threw the pillow over her head and tried to get some more sleep. The sound of a fist colliding with skin made Katara toss the pillow to the side and she jumped out of bed.

She threw open her door and looked down the hallway to see Sokka sitting against the wall, holding his jaw. Her father stood above him with his fist clenched, blood dripping off his knuckles made Katara sick. She jogged over to them and he started walking away, as if nothing was wrong.

Katara knelt to the ground in front of her brother and looked at his face. Pain and anger were the only emotions Katara could find in his eyes. Katara gently pulled his hand away from his jaw and glared. The side of his mouth was bloody and a bruise was starting to form by his mouth.

Katara stood up and ran down the stairs to confront her father. Normally she wouldn't have said anything, but this went too far. Katara saw her father walk out the front door when she hit the last stair.

She yanked opened the door and ran towards him. His back was to her as he was talking to older man. "What the hell were you thinking?!" Katara screamed to him when she was about a yard away from him.

His head turned towards her and anger filled his eyes. "I'm sorry about that, my daughter doesn't know any respect." He said as he turned his attention back to the man.

Anger filled Katara as Hakoda brushed her off as if she was a piece of lint on his coat. "Don't you turn your back in me!" Katara yelled as she clenched her hands from the anger.

"Go back inside where you belong, hidden from the rest of the world." Hakoda said calmly, not once taking his attention off the man in front of him.

"Who the hell do you think you are? You just punched your own son hard enough to draw blood and bruise! You almost broke his jaw; your own son!" Katara hollered. Little did she know that a crowd had given them their attention. Neighbors had stepped outside their house to see what the yelling was about. People passing by on the sidewalk stopped to gawk and get the gossip.

That got his attention enough for him to turn around and send a death glare to Katara. Katara snarled at him and didn't back down when he closed the distance. "You will learn your place." Hakoda warned.

Katara couldn't see anything but red when she threw the first punch. She heard the contact and everything seemed to go in slow motion. Her first made prefect connection with his nose and she felt it break. Hakoda stumbled backwards and stared at his daughter. The crowd gasped with surprise and horror; the same question was going through everyone's mind: Where in the hell did she learn to punch like that?

"If you ever hurt anyone in my family again, I will make sure your nose isn't the only thing broken!" Katara warned him.

Sokka walked out the front door right before Katara hit their father and the world seemed to break apart. He walked down the stairs and stepped next to Katara. His jaw was hurting like hell and the ice pack on it didn't seem to help.

"Do you have any idea what you just did?!" Hakoda yelled as he held his nose with one hand and pointed the other at Katara.

"I hit a bastard who was trespassing on our property. He also physically hurt my brother and I felt my life was in danger, so I took a punch. I was defending my family's lives and taking out the trash at the same time." Katara announced as she stood up straighter.

Cheers rose up from the crowd and Katara looked around for the first time to see there were tons of people watching. At least they were smart enough to know what side was telling the truth. The old man behind Hakoda wore a face of anger, guilt, and pride.

"I'm afraid I cannot give you the job, Hakoda. We are looking for people who don't hurt their own family members." The old man said as he stepped to the side, leaving a clear exit for him to take.

Hakoda was furious with all the events that just happen. He took his keys out of his pocket and started his car. He ripped out of the driveway and peeled out. The people seemed to disappear and go along with what they were doing before.

"I don't think I caught your name, Sir." Katara politely said as she walked towards the hand. The old man held out his hand and shook it with Katara.

"My name is Iroh. Do I get the pleasure of knowing your name?" Iroh asked.

"Katara." She answered shortly. She wasn't in a mood to talk and she still had to get to school on time.

"I suggest you two get cleaned up and head off to school, which starts in about 15 minutes." The man said as he glanced at his watch. He gave both kids a nod, walked over to his car, and drove off.

Katara and Sokka both walked back into the house before Katara spoke to him, "You should put a towel or something around that ice. It works better if something is around the ice so it doesn't touch or burn your skin."

"Thanks." Was the only response she got as he walked down stairs to get dressed. Katara walked into her room and threw on some clothes.

Both water tribe members got into the car and were silent as Sokka drove. It was a silence that aloud them to drift into there own thoughts. However, both knew they wouldn't talk about this morning to anyone and they would avoid if it came up during school.

They pulled into the parking space and jumped out the car. Sokka and Katara went their separate ways, not once looking back at each other. Katara walked into chemistry and took her seat. Her eyes danced up when the door up as soon as the bell rang to see Toph walk in.

She wore black knee length boots with blue rhinestones lining them. Her white/bluish striped with thick black lines went with her eye shadow and nail polish. She wore a teal short skirt with a black band wrapping around the top. The skirt dipped down in the middle and had a huge silt on the left side. She had a green colored belt and a grey block belt that weren't holding anything up. The blue tank top came about 2 inches below her breast and the straps were black. Two strings of rhinestones were attached to the tank top and dangled to the top of her skirt. She had a black band around her wrist and on the same arm, she wore a off-color-green sleeve with a light green pattern on it. Her hair was up and only side bangs were down. The yellow was no longer in her hair, only a jet-black color was left. She had a green headband that had blue skulls on it. The earrings dangled a bit and at the end of them was a blue skull. The necklace was a black choker with a blue skull hanging off it. She carried an Ipod with her, which was green and she had teal headphones with a light shade teal skulls on them. (**.com/art/Toph-Collab-with-Awitan-77071764**)

Katara knew this is what Zuko had warned her about. She glanced over to see Zuko shaking his head slightly, but sadness swarmed his eyes. Toph walked over to her seat and sat down. She didn't bother to bring a backpack, the only thing on her was her Ipod. She put her headphones on and played either heavy metal or screamo. Katara winced a bit when she heard the music, Toph need to get out of this mood.

She glanced at Zuko and saw him looking right back at her. He slid her a note when Mr. Bumi wasn't looking and turned his attention back to the front. Katara unfolded the note and saw a number. She glanced back at Zuko and mouthed "Whose?"

Zuko rolled his eyes and pointed to himself while he smirked. Katara rolled her eyes and took out cell to program his number in. she sent him a text, guessing this is why he gave her his number.

**K: Gr8 now evry grl n this school has ur # **

**Z: Yep! but this is 4 a dfrnt reason**

**K: I guess this is wat u were talkin bout**

**Z: Yep, scary isn't it**

**K: Anything 2 hlp**

**Z: Jst let it blow over**

**K: Then y giv me ur #**

**Z: Now evry grl n this school has my #**

**K: Hahahahaha so fnny. real reasn**

**Z: Guess im goin 2 disapoint u again**

Katara laughed aloud when she read the last text message and knew that was a mistake. Mr. Bumi looked at her and asked what was so funny. Katara said nothing and acted as if she was paying close attention when he looked back at her every few seconds to make sure she was keeping up. Katara felt her phone vibrate and looked down to see a new text message from Zuko.

**Z: Tht was fuckin fnny! =)**

Katara glared at Zuko and saw him just smirk and shake his head. She looked back at Toph and sighed. She didn't like seeing friends hurting like that. WAIT….friends…did she think Toph was her friend? Katara thought about yesterday and had to nod her head. Toph is her friend and that meant she would help her out.

Once the bell rang, Katara watched everybody file out and only Zuko was still sitting there. He had a curious look on his face until he saw Toph still sitting there, not caring about anything or anybody. Katara got up and walked over to Toph.

Toph looked up in time to see Katara pull her up by her arms and stand her up. She link arms with Toph and dragged her out of the classroom. Zuko walked behind the girls, smiling to himself. They walked out into the parking lot and put Toph into the passenger side of the Jaguar.

She glanced at Zuko and smirked, "Do you think you could sweet talk your way out from being in trouble for being late to your next class or maybe ditching the next whole period?"

Zuko snorted and got into the back seat as Katara slide into the drivers seat. "One question my bad girl, how did you get the keys?" Zuko asked sweetly as he leaned forward between the two seats.

Katara laughed and answered, "Sokka is so easy to pick pocket, and it's not even funny."

"Your bad girl!" Toph exclaimed as she whipped her head around to look at Zuko. Zuko's eyes widen and he just shrugged.

"She is making us ditch a class." Zuko snickered.

"You are ditching a class; we are ditching the rest of the day." Katara announced as she pulled out of the park lot and onto the street.

"The rest of the day!" shrieked Toph and Zuko as they looked at Katara with shock on their faces.

"Yep! Zuko will drive Sokka's car back to school and go to class. Toph and I will take my baby with us." Katara explained as she paused at the stop sign.

"Why in the hell do I have to go back to school?" Zuko sneered as he leaned back in the seat with a frown. This just suck, thought Zuko.

"Because someone has to take the car back and plus this is a girls day out." Katara responded as she kept her attention on the road.

"Well this just blows." Zuko mumbled as he mopped in the back seat.

Katara was at a stoplight when she looked at him in her rearview mirror and with a smirk on her face. "Aww, is little Zuko sad." Katara teased.

Zuko yelled and Toph laughed as she took off. Katara was just all smiles all the way home with Zuko yelling curses and Toph laughing her ass off. Katara leaned back and laughed to herself, this felt just right.

* * *

*I want to thank everyone who has reviewed this story.

**Caweesh, 1994omi, Miluiel-Apsenniel, Mimikurume, datsoundgood, BonitaChickia, Handerra, Life Is Full Of Music, Anime Donna, Mystic-Dream, gothic satan-wolf, zutara011, BobsRules, roxy, Akatsuki'sBloodyNekoNinja, MissBrown22241, amber, Z1ZYX, mangaka-sensi, adriattic, Sakurachan623, wolfiegirl93, zutara-vampirepirate, Harmony Nights, AvatarAiris, Craz Lollipop-Imp, PowerMadAvatarGirl, listenxwhereitsquiet, apolla101, Allyon Everstone, EndlessBack, clairelovesedward, HimeIchigoYuki, MoonTears8, beybaska, angelthewriter, LFC, IheartZuko, CleverWriter2416, immortalxdiary, Ms. Maria and Ms. Kiera, Number22, Sapphire, kawaiiitahina123, ShySweet-luver, Inkaide, Serene6868, loggie831, Handerra, HeartBreaker640, Anime Donna, chibi-fire-girl, RebellAngell21, scooter, Dancing Water, zutarababe, WriteroftheRevolution, Waterbender Nina, kokoro420, vicious-fluffy-bunny-llama, and .longfellow.**


	13. Chapter 11

*I do not own any of Avatar characters (besides Matthew) or the show Avatar the Last Airbender: because if I did, Katara and Zuko would have been together.

*All pictures of vehicles and dresses are on my profile.

***Congrats to zukosfangirlandzutara for being the first person to review, CYBER COOKIE AND HUG FOR YOU!**

*** There is now a COVER to go with this story!!!!!! .com/art/Fighter-132329341 CHECK IT OUT AND COMMENT!!!!!!!**

** Miluiel-apsenniel made this cover for me and I love it! The background is how I pictured the warehouse to be! My comment is under Waterrockz about the pic. **

* * *

Previous:

"Your bad girl!" Toph exclaimed as she whipped her head around to look at Zuko. Zuko's eyes widen and he just shrugged.

"She is making us ditch a class." Zuko snickered.

"You are ditching a class; we are ditching the rest of the day." Katara announced as she pulled out of the park lot and onto the street.

"The rest of the day!" shrieked Toph and Zuko as they looked at Katara with shock on their faces.

"Yep! Zuko will drive Sokka's car back to school and go to class. Toph and I will take my baby with us." Katara explained as she paused at the stop sign.

"Why in the hell do I have to go back to school?" Zuko sneered as he leaned back in the seat with a frown. This just suck, thought Zuko.

"Because someone has to take the car back and plus this is a girls day out." Katara responded as she kept her attention on the road.

"Well this just blows." Zuko mumbled as he mopped in the back seat.

Katara was at a stoplight when she looked at him in her rearview mirror and with a smirk on her face. "Aww, is little Zuko sad." Katara teased.

Zuko yelled and Toph laughed as she took off. Katara was just all smiles all the way home with Zuko yelling curses and Toph laughing her ass off. Katara leaned back and laughed to herself, this felt just right.

* * *

Now:

"Will you two hurry up?" grunted a voice as he looked at the girls behind him.

"You beg us to take you along, so I suggest you sit your ass down and wait patiently," One of the girls voiced as she put her hands on her hips. She looked at the boy and smirked. "I tried to get you to go back to school, but you wouldn't listen to me." The girl said to the boy.

The boy crossed his arms and sat into a chair near by. He mumbled under his breath and the girl just shook her head while she laughed. The girl walked back over the other girl and giggles rang out.

The boy slumped father into the seat. He had no idea the girls were going to go shopping like little kids. Zuko frowned when he thought that he could be talking with his friends right now instead of the girl's sidekick.

Katara had driven them to store that was huge and Zuko thought he was going die. He had no idea Katara was going to take Toph shopping. Katara and Toph had been all laughs and acted like best friends. Of course, he was the butt of all jokes the girls told.

However, he saw a difference in Toph. He had been watching the girls closely as they browsed through the clothes and smiled to himself. Zuko was happy that Toph was smiling and having fun. He had never seen Toph this open with another person before, let alone with a girl. He didn't peg Katara as the shopping girl, but here she was shopping. Zuko looked at the girls and saw that their arms were full of clothes. He gulped and sighed when he realized that he didn't have to help any of them.

Zuko turned his head to see a young couple shopping together. The woman had a dress in her arms and was pulling her boyfriend towards the dressing rooms. The man had a look of dread on his face. Zuko snorted at the couple and knew he would never be caught in that situation.

"Zuko, can you come here?" called Toph as she walked towards the dressing room. Zuko stood up and walked to Toph. He suddenly stopped and thought twice about walking towards the dressing room.

"You are going to sit your ass down on the couch in there and look pretty," said Katara as she stood right behind Zuko.

Zuko gave a dry laugh and asked, "Why would I do that?"

"Fine then. I guess you really don't want to see two teenage girls modeling clothes…well lack of clothes," whispered Katara in his ear. She walked towards the room while she swayed her hips.

Zuko's breath caught in his throat as Katara spoke. He could feel his palms get sweaty with the thought of seeing Katara in a swimsuit. He closed his eyes and stood still as he thought about his choices.

"So Zuko, what do you think?" a voice quietly asked as she walked out of her stall. Zuko glanced up and took a deep breath. He never saw Toph as more than a sister, but now he saw a woman standing there.

She was wearing a lime green strapless dress. The dress ended at her mid thigh and flared out. She wore green heels that gave her about three inches in height. Her hair was loose and framed her face. A gold necklace wrapped around her neck and gold bracelets lined her wrists. The only thing wrong with the outfit was the fact that the necklace looked backwards.

"You look smoking!" said Katara as she peaked her head out of the stall and looked Toph over. "Hang on a second…" Katara exclaimed as she walked out of the stall and towards Toph.

Zuko stopped breathing and his eyes got wide as baseballs. Katara was only wearing a blue lacey thong and matching bra. Katara walked over to Toph and fixed her necklace as if nothing was wrong.

"What the hell are you doing?" said Zuko quietly as he stood up and rushed towards Katara. He kept looking around the area to make sure that no people were around.

"What's wrong?" Toph asked seriously.

"Katara just walked out of the changing room with only wearing her underwear on!" Zuko whispered.

The two girls looked at each other and start laughing. Zuko stood there stunned and looked between both girls as if they were crazy.

"What is so funny?" demanded Zuko as he looked at Toph. He didn't dare look at Katara because he had a feeling that his eyes would wander.

"If you haven't noticed, we have this part to ourselves. There is only two changing stalls in here plus the couch and mirror. They separate the whole changing room like this so people can have their privacy," explained Katara as she tried not to laugh.

"And why are you complaining? Don't like the view?" teased Katara as she walked towards him. She placed her arms on his shoulders and leaned her mouth towards his ear. "I have a feeling that you are enjoying this, so why complain," Katara whispered.

Zuko groaned and tried not to let his hands wonder on her body. Her breasts were pushed against his chest and he loved the feeling.

"If you keep doing that Katara, he will have blue balls for the rest of the day," snickered Toph as she leaned against the wall. Toph could feel Zuko's body stiffen as Katara teased him with her body. She smiled to herself as she watched the two.

Toph had always been watching out for Zuko when she was close enough to feel him. She had never seen him this worked up about a girl and she liked it. Toph had a feeling the teasing would not be one sided for long and she hoped that Katara could take what she dished out.

"Toph! I'm done," Katara said as she walked out of stall and stepped in front of the mirrors. Zuko watched her and smiled.

The ocean blue dress flowed to the floor and if she lifted the dress enough, you could see silver heels. The strapless dress hugged her body like a glove. The dress didn't flare out until it hit her knees. The dress dipped down in the middle to show cleavage and she wore silver hoop earrings. The silver necklace was the same design as Toph's and she wore her hair up in a messy bun.

"Zuko describe what she is wearing, please," demanded Toph as she stayed in her stall.

"Why can't you come out here and see for yourself," asked Zuko and went silent. He had forgotten one small detail, and that detail was one of the main reasons they were here in the first place.

"Katara, you look like a sexy beast!" yelled Toph as she hit the door with her hands. Katara started cracking up laughing and held her stomach with one hand. Zuko let out a deep breath he had been holding.

Zuko described what Katara was wearing to Toph with detail and Katara would correct him every time he made a mistake. This went on for several different outfits and they all found a rhythm to it.

The trio of people sat down with a heavy sigh. Minutes earlier the two girls had armloads of bags and the boy had his share of bags too. Luckily, Katara had been smart enough to make them put the bags away in her baby before they went to the restaurant. A waiter walked up to the group and asked if they were ready to order.

"A garden salad with three green apples on the side. I would like a Coke to drink," said Toph.

"A BLT and add pepper jack cheese. I will have Dr. Pepper," stated Zuko.

"Just a strawberry lemonade please," voiced Katara.

"That's it?" Zuko and Toph voiced together. Katara just shrugged her shoulders and leaned back in the seat.

"Here comes trouble," Toph voiced quietly as she head dropped to the table and her eyes went to the floor. Zuko and Katara both looked and see another trio group walking towards them.

Azula was out in front with Tylee on her right and Mai on her left. Azula wore her hair up in a loose ponytail and the hair fell past her shoulders. The clip was that of the fire nation symbol, which matched her golden eyes. The red dress she wore came down to a little above her ankles but had a slit that run completely up one side on the dress and stopped at a little before her hip. The strapless dress V down between her breasts and glued to her hips. The 4-inch heels she wore were red and looked deadly.

Tylee wore cheerful colors compared to the other girls. Her pink dress was strapless and didn't hug too tight to her body. The top of the dress was line with orange as well as the bottom part of the dress that flared out. A little orange bow as on the dress and the pink heels went with the dress. Her hair was done in a ponytail and bounced every time they took a step.

Mai was wearing black combat boots and a little black dress. This dress was a complete cry of slut though. The dress was strapless and sat low so you got a nice view of her cleavage and ended mid-thigh. The dress was like a glove and completely showed every line and indent of her body. Her hair was up in a messy bun, held together by draggers.

Katara showed a face of sickness as they moved around the mall. She looked over to see Zuko glaring at his sister. He looked back at Katara and pulled at his cell phone. Katara looked down at hers to see it vibrating.

**Z: Mayb we shld get goin**

Katara nodded her head and got up from the table. Toph looked at her and shook her head. Katara looked confused and titled her head to the side.

"No. We were here first, I am not leaving. It would only go to show that I'm letting her get to me" announced Toph as she took a slip from her Coke. She sat it down and watched the ice cubes swirl around in her cup.

Katara sat down slowly and looked at Zuko. He shrugged his shoulders, not making a big deal about it.

"Zuko!" a voice yelled. The voice could only belong to Tylee. The group looked over to see the trio walking towards them. The clicking of heels was not the only dead give away to their arrival.

"Well this is strange indeed," commented Azula as she looked at each person at the table. Azula never thought she would see Zuko at the mall with a girl, yet alone two of them. She was also shocked to see the two girls were Toph and Katara. Azula would never have peg Katara as the shopping type.

"What's strange about three friends eating lunch together?" Zuko volunteered as he glared at his younger sister. Zuko watched her face twist into a frown to amusement.

"Since when are you three good buddies?" Azula countered as she placed her hand on her hip.

"Why do you care?" Zuko shot back.

"I care because you were able to get Katara to go shopping with you and when I tried to get her to go shopping with me, she never showed up," explained Azula as she glanced back over to Katara.

"Like she would be good at it," said Mai as she looked at nails. She would flick her hair occasionally.

"You would be surprise on what I can do," responded Katara with a smirk.

"You will always be second to me," sneered Mai as she glared at Katara.

"How much you wanna bet?" Katara questioned as she took a slip for her drink.

"We are going to be let for our appointment if we stay longer. Lets go, girls. Our nail appointment is waiting for us," Tylee jumped in. Katara watched as she took the attention off them and put it to good use. Katara had a feeling that Tylee broke up many fights between each girl.

The trio walked off, well more like stomped away. Toph got up and told them they had to get going home now. Zuko and Katara followed her lead and walked back to her car.

"I want you to train me," voiced Toph as they sat in the car. They had been driving for an hour now and it had been a quiet hour. Each person was in his or her own thoughts until Toph spoke up.

"Train?" Katara questioned as she sped up her baby.

"Under Ground Fighting, of course," said Toph with the look of duh on her face.

No one in the car was ready for when the breaks slammed in. Toph screamed and the seat belt jerked against her, holding her in place. Zuko slammed into Toph's seat and hit his seat hard. He held his face with one hand and shot a look to Katara.

"What the hell!" yelled Zuko.

Katara sat there in the driver's seat, panting lightly. Her grip on the steering wheel tighten, the nails digging hard into the wheel. Her eyes were widening as she took in a shaky breath.

"Don't ever ask me that," Katara said quietly. Cars had honked and passed them since they were stopped in the middle of a busy roadway.

"Why? You are the best fighter, you can train me," countered Toph.

"No!" Katara yelled as she slammed on the gas. Katara sped down the road and took the corners hard. Zuko sat there and looked at Katara. He could see the pain in her eyes when Toph talked about the fighting.

Before they knew it, Katara hit the breaks and they were in front of Toph's house. Toph slowly got out and got her bags. She shut the door and took three steps back before Katara hit the gas.

"Address?" Katara said as she took a corner hard to get back on the main road. Zuko climb into the front seat and gave her his address.

* * *

**_DON'T FORGET TO LOOK AT THE COVER ART FOR THIS STORY_ ****.com/art/Fighter-132329341**

*I want to thank everyone who has reviewed this story.

**Caweesh, 1994omi, Miluiel-Apsenniel, Mimikurume, datsoundgood, BonitaChickia, Handerra, Life Is Full Of Music, Anime Donna, Mystic-Dream, gothic satan-wolf, zutara011, BobsRules, roxy, Akatsuki'sBloodyNekoNinja, MissBrown22241, amber, Z1ZYX, mangaka-sensi, adriattic, Sakurachan623, wolfiegirl93, zutara-vampirepirate, Harmony Nights, AvatarAiris, Craz Lollipop-Imp, PowerMadAvatarGirl, listenxwhereitsquiet, apolla101, Allyon Everstone, EndlessBack, clairelovesedward, HimeIchigoYuki, MoonTears8, beybaska, angelthewriter, LFC, IheartZuko, CleverWriter2416, immortalxdiary, Ms. Maria and Ms. Kiera, Number22, Sapphire, kawaiiitahina123, ShySweet-luver, Inkaide, Serene6868, loggie831, Handerra, HeartBreaker640, Anime Donna, chibi-fire-girl, RebellAngell21, scooter, Dancing Water, zutarababe, WriteroftheRevolution, Waterbender Nina, kokoro420 (), vicious-fluffy-bunny-llama, .longfellow, Joe, 99writtenwords, zukosfangirlandzutara, Whateverlife46, MissMarauderBlack, and monet12. **


	14. Author's Note: Important

**Author's note**

*** **Go to deviantART .com and search **Fighter Waterrockz** and you will see a cover made for this story.

Fighter by Miluiel-Apsenniel

* * *

*Chapter 12 is being retyped at this moment. I typed 12 on my grandparent's computer and their computer crashed. So now I have to retype the chapter and the sad part is that I don't remember all the details. Chapter 12 might take a while so don't plan on it being posted before the end of August.

* * *

*In Chapter 12, I will be introducing all the teachers and subjects that Katara has. So I thought I might do something fun with it and I have a plan.

The first 5 people who can send me the correct answers will get a sneak peek at the next two chapters and the playlist I listened to when I wrote the chapter. People have been asking for these two things nonstop so I'm putting them up for people.

All you have to do is send me the names of the teachers and who they are in the Avatar The Last Airbender show.

For example: **Ruko the principal is the avatar before Aang.**

Simple enough, I think. There are 6 teachers, so I need the roles of all 6 characters for you to get the sneak peeks and playlist.

When I post the chapter 12, I will have date that you have to send the info in by and the date I will reveal the answers.

Love your guys reviews and comments! Keep them coming and coming! =) =) =)

waterrockz


	15. Chapter 12

*I do not own any of Avatar characters (besides Matthew) or the show Avatar the Last Airbender: because if I did, Katara and Zuko would have been together.

*_**Contest ends September 2, 2009. Look in Author's note if you have no idea what I'm talking about.**_

***Congrats to ShySweet-luver and 99writtenwords for being the first people to review, CYBER COOKIES AND HUGS FOR YOU!**

**

* * *

**Previous:

"I want you to train me," voiced Toph as they sat in the car. They had been driving for an hour now and it had been a quiet hour. Each person was in his or her own thoughts until Toph spoke up.

"Train?" Katara questioned as she sped up her baby.

"Under Ground Fighting, of course," said Toph with the look of duh on her face.

No one in the car was ready for when the breaks slammed in. Toph screamed and the seat belt jerked against her, holding her in place. Zuko slammed into Toph's seat and hit his seat hard. He held his face with one hand and shot a look to Katara.

"What the hell!" yelled Zuko.

Katara sat there in the driver's seat, panting lightly. Her grip on the steering wheel tighten, the nails digging hard into the wheel. Her eyes were widening as she took in a shaky breath.

"Don't ever ask me that," Katara said quietly. Cars had honked and passed them since they were stopped in the middle of a busy roadway.

"Why? You are the best fighter, you can train me," countered Toph.

"No!" Katara yelled as she slammed on the gas. Katara sped down the road and took the corners hard. Zuko sat there and looked at Katara. He could see the pain in her eyes when Toph talked about the fighting.

Before they knew it, Katara hit the breaks and they were in front of Toph's house. Toph slowly got out and got her bags. She shut the door and took three steps back before Katara hit the gas.

"Address?" Katara said as she took a corner hard to get back on the main road. Zuko climb into the front seat and gave her his address.

* * *

Now:

The drive to his house was silent. Zuko let Katara pondered her thoughts as he watched her out of the corner of his eye. Her body went back to normal once they went about two miles, but she still was a little pale. Zuko didn't realize how bad that one question could affect Katara.

"You know she doesn't know what she wants right now?" offered Zuko.

"I know but the question just caught me off guard," mumbled Katara. She eased the car through the corners smoothly, hating herself for stopping her baby badly back there.

"So how come I haven't seen you in Weapons?" questioned Zuko as he looked over at Katara.

"I didn't want to go that class. How did you know?" interjected Katara. She was very curious on how Zuko knew that she was in his class when she never brought up the subject.

"Sokka told me the day before school that he had one class with his sister, and that was Weapons during 3rd period," explained Zuko as he messed with the radio.

Katara hit his hand away when he turned the station. Zuko moved his back to the radio and mess with it. She glared at him and hit the off button. Zuko snickered and hit the CD button. He turned up the volume and found himself surprise when the music came out.

"You like Nickelback?" pointed out Zuko as the song met his ears.

"It's a mix CD of their music and yes I do like them," scoffed Katara as she hit the button, to click on the next song.

"Why hasn't Sokka noticed that I'm not there?" questioned Katara. She was thinking that if Zuko had noticed her absence, then why her brother hadn't said anything to her.

"Sokka and Suki are in that class together. Sokka is too busy skipping class with Suki to…talk. When they do come to class, they are always watching each other. We are lucky that they even remember the drills in class," preached Zuko as he listened to music.

"Lets cut the crap. Sokka is skipping Weapons to have sex with Suki. When they do come to class, they are too busy stripping each other with their eyes to pay attention," declared Katara as she hit another stop light.

"If we are cutting the crap, then yes," teased Zuko as he smirked. He knew Katara would get to the point but didn't know she would be blunt about it.

Katara tapped her fingers with impatience on the steering wheel. She wanted the light to turn green so she could get rid of Zuko quicker. Katara wanted nothing more than to go running and beat a couple a punching bags.

The ride was silent besides the music coming out of the speakers. Katara pulled up next to a gated driveway. The house was nowhere to be seen so Katara probably figured the house had a long driveway. However, Zuko made no effort to get out.

Zuko sat there with confusion on his face. Katara studied him while he sat there, looking out the dash. His eyes were begging him to talk and ask Katara a question. His body wanted to get out of the car. Katara realized that he was torn, his mind wanted to do one thing and his body wanted to do another thing.

"See you tomorrow," hesitated Zuko before he opened the door and got out. He shut the door and walked up to the gate.

**********************

97…98…99…100 pushups. Katara got up and stretched her limbs out. She could feel eyes on her as she bent over and place her hands on the floor. The only reason she didn't get whistles was the fact that the guys were too scared that she would beat them to a pulp.

Katara laid on the mat with her knees bent and started sit-ups. Her eyes closed and she went faster. 20…21…22…23…Toph needed some help with her confidence. She was a tough girl but when someone keeps telling you different and no one tells you different, you slowly start believing him or her.

34…35…36…37…Zuko was quite interesting today. His attitude towards Katara was bearable today, but it was just to help Toph. Katara couldn't help but wonder if it was just to help Toph or if there was something more.

48…49…50…51…his face was priceless when she stepped out in her underwear and bra. Katara couldn't help but laugh inside at the site. His blush was cute and his rambling was so childish. Katara knew how to get inside all guy's head and Zuko was no expect to this.

62…63…64…65…66…Mai was a bitch, plain and simple. At first, Katara figured that Mai was mad that every guy had her in their minds. Mai liked Zuko so much that she didn't even realize that Kuzan was following her around like a lost puppy. Then Mai attacked Toph not Katara.

77…78…79…80…81…82…83…84…school just had too much drama for her taste. There was a reason Katara chose not to go to school in the first place. Katara was lost in her thoughts and didn't hear anyone come up to her until she felt weight on her toes.

Katara shot her eyes open and saw Matthew kneeling. His knees were on top of her feet and his arms were crossed over her knees. Katara raised her eyebrows and kept going, trying to remember what number she was at.

95…96…she could feel a pair of eyes burning into her skin. His eyes were burning a whole into her neck, where her scar was. 97…98…Katara felt herself start to warm up under his gaze. Matthew had always been there for her since she first started fighting. His gaze never lingered but her eyes when they trained.

Katara always knew that Matthew was different from other fighters. Others would look at her as if she was a piece of meat and in the beginning, some would talked dirty to her. Katara learned that you had to put them in their place if you wanted them to learn.

She remembered the first time she beat up a guy after he felt her up. That was the last time any guy got physical with her. She had to work hard to earn her spot where she was now. No one would dare anger or disrespect her here, fearing what she would do to them.

"You must be in deep thought since you are going over 100," commented Matthew. Katara stopped and thought back to the numbers. She had lost count at 98 and kept going when she was thinking.

Katara just shrugged and twitched her legs, wanting to get up. Matthew sat back and got up, so Katara could stand up. Katara walked over to the table and started taping up her wrists and hands. She could feel Matthew watching her every move.

Once she finished taping her hands, Katara walked over to a bag and stretched her arms out before she hit the bag. The first hit landed in the middle and the second one landed in the same spot. Katara let her speed quicken and her hit move all over the bag.

The bag moved around every time Katara punched it. Suddenly it stopped moving and Katara stopped. Matthew stood behind the bag, holding it. He looked at her and told her that they need to talk.

"Well go on and talk then," barked Katara. She didn't like when people stopped her in the middle. Matthew knew this better than anyone else, so he knew what was coming when he stopped her.

"I'm thinking that it is time for you to train someone," calculated Matthew.

Katara stopped short and looked at him. "There is no way in hell you can make me train any of these guys here," gagged Katara. There was no way in hell that she would train anyone of the guys who fought here. They were stuck up and didn't listen to people.

Katara had been helping train the rookie fighters. She would point out flaws and strengthens of the fighters and tell them how to do it right. However, she never took a fighter under her wing and trained with them one on one. Matthew had done this with her and that was the best way to become a great fighter.

"No. I mean bring in someone from the outside and train him or her. You are ready and need this. They will learn from you and they will teach things in return. Only after successfully training someone, are you at the top of your game," reported Matthew. He looked right into her eyes as he spoke and she knew that he was serious.

"I will think about it," vowed Katara as she turned away.

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Chemistry with Mr. Bumi was uneventful today. They were taking a quiz on something stupid in alchemy; can you turn a penny into gold? Toph had walked in with her normal outfit and with her bangs bright yellow. She gave Katara a slight smile when she walked in and sat in her desk. Aang had almost immdiently straighten up and gave Toph a big bright smile. Zuko kept staring at Katara, but Katara had actually paid attention to the class.

Calculus with Mr. Fong was a relief to Katara. It was the one class she didn't have Zuko in. However, she did have Yue and Suki in that class. Normally Katara sat and did her work with no interruptions, since she wasn't best buddies with anyone in here. Suki came up to Katara half way through the class and had invited her to a party she was throwing. She was having a party at her parent's beach house on Saturday and wanted Katara to come. Katara promised to have an answer by Friday on whether she could come or not to the party.

Katara decided that she would go to Weapons today. She didn't tell Zuko the real reason she didn't come to the class. Katara was much like Mai when it came to weapons and that was a real reason. Katara cleared her mind when she walked through the door.

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When Katara walked out the locker room, she studied the room. It was quite big for being a classroom in the school's building. The were four doors in the room; one that lead to the hallway, one that went to girl's locker room, one to the boy's locker room, and one that went somewhere Katara didn't know. The wood floor shined at the end of the room where the door to the hallway was. The rest of the floor was covered with mats, all the same dull black color. All different types of weapons lined the walls, and all types were there. Katara noticed some weapons that she hadn't seen before and some that from other countries.

Katara walked over to the group of people sitting in the floor. She sat behind most people at the end; she really didn't want to draw attention from people. Her eyes glanced over the other people and she sighed in relief when she saw she picked out the right outfit. Sweats, shorts, sweatshirts, and old t-shirts littered everyone's bodies.

"Good to see you in class, ditcher," announced someone as they sat next to Katara. Katara turned her head to see Zuko sitting next to her. His smile was sly and hid a second meaning for it.

Before Katara could comment, a door slammed opened and shut loudly. Katara looked up to see the teacher walking out of the door Katara didn't know where it lead. The teacher walked out with a box in his hands, it looked a little heavy.

He placed in front of his feet when he stood in front of the group. Katara couldn't quite see what was in it, but is was something wooden.

"We are going to start using swords now. I will pair you up with a partner and you will have a duel. Over the next several days we will have a tournament with swords," the teacher announced to the class.

Groans and yeses went up around the class. The groans came from Mai, Suki, Longshot, Jun, Duke, Teo, and Smellerbee. The yeses came from Zuko, Jet, Pipsqueak, Sokka, and Kuzan. The teacher went around the group and paired students up. When his gaze landed on Katara, he stopped and his eyebrows lowered.

"Who are you?" questioned the teacher. His gaze swept over her body, trying to place her.

"I am Katara, I have this class but never came," claimed Katara.

"You can address me as Mr. Zhao and you will be paired up with Jun," declared Mr. Zhao as he frowned.

One by one, each group got up to duel. The wooden swords were old looking, but Katara could tell that they would hurt like hell if one hit you. Katara didn't pay attention to the duels, but to the conversation that took place between her and Matthew.

She could train anyone she wanted to and not put up with dickheads. Katara didn't think Matthew was serious at first, but his face held to lies behind it. She wondered how this got started. Katara didn't think the big boss would want more fighters when the new ones they had weren't good. Maybe they wanted more fighters like her in their ring.

"Jun and Katara," hollered Mr. Zhao as the pair before them walked back to group. They got up and picked up a sword. Katara and Jun took there sides on the mat and waited for the go.

Katara saw Jun switching her grip, not finding the right one. She waited for the signal from the teacher. Mr. Zhao said the fateful words that began the duel.

Jun made the first strike on his command. Her strikes were quick yet messy and not timed. Katara dodged each strike and kept slowly moving around. It was a simple duel; one of them had to drop their sword to declare a winner.

Jun was getting tired fast since she was the only one taking strikes. Katara waited until the last possible second before she made her move. Katara saw her opening and swiftly moved the sword between her sword and arm.

The wooden sword pressed against Jun's throat; not hard enough to draw blood, but it would leave a little mark. Katara held the sword there, waiting for Jun to drop her sword. A sound made it to Katara's ears and she lowered her sword.

Both girls turned and walked back over to the group after putting the swords in the box. Katara sat down to the side of the group so she could think. Jun followed her and sat down next to Katara.

"Thanks for letting me stay in there longer than what I should have," exclaimed Jun.

"You aren't terrible, just not the best. You have good basics but you need to pace yourself. It wasn't a bad duel," offered Katara. Jun wasn't a bad fighter, she just needed some good pointers.

"So when do you and Zuko train?" questioned Jun. A smirk was on her face as she gazed at Katara.

Katara's eyes went wide and her eyebrows shot up. She whipped her head at Jun and saw the smirk. "What in the world are you talking about?" voiced Katara.

"You and Zuko have the same fighting style. Wait until the last possible second to strike, study your opponent before you strike, and let your opponent make the first move so they tired first. Your fighting styles are the same," explained Jun.

Katara looked away and thought to herself. They might have the same fighting style but their style in bending was different.

*****************************************

AP Government with Ms. Lo was boring. Katara was glad that the only people in this class she knew were Teo and Zuko. Katara didn't really pay much attention in this class and she got away with it. Ms. Lo was too nice for her own good and loved every student.

Japanese with Ms. Li was the same was her previous class. The only difference was the fact that Yue kept bugging her about Suki's party. Yue had talked up the party and seemed to be excited about it. She had told Katara that Suki could throw great parties, not wild parties though. Azula and her gang were the ones who threw wild parties were you can't remember the night the next day.

Bending with Coach (Pakku) was the class Katara was dreading but excited for. Today was the day of the volleyball tournament and Katara didn't play volleyball. Coach had chosen the day before the teams and captains. Azula, Suki, and Katara were the three captains Coach chose.

On the days that they didn't go bending (games like soccer, volleyball, kickball), students from other classes came in so they had more people to make larger teams. For example, Tylee, Mai, Jin, Jun, and Yue come in even though they don't have the class.

Azula came up with a red tank top and black spandex. Her red shoes had black lines on them with black laces. Her black hair was pulled up into a high ponytail with a firenation tie, with her sides hanging down.

Suki came up next with forest green sweats on that stopped above her knees. She wore a black tank top and black shoes with green laces. Her chestnut brown hair was pulled into a half ponytail by a green tie.

Katara followed them to where Coach was standing. Katara wore black shorts with a deep ocean blue tank top. Her blue shoes had silver outlining them with white laces. Her brown hair was pulled back into a braid.

After a coin toss, Coach decided that Suki's team would play Azula's team and then the winner would play Katara's team. Coach changed some rules and mixed things up so there would be less confusion for everybody who had never played volleyball before.

A match is made up of three games. The first two are played to 25 points and the last game is played to 15 points. The point spread had to be at least two for a team to win. No bending was allowed in a match, so skill was very important. Instead of routing positions in a normal game, everyone would stay in the same position and just switch servers.

* * *

*I want to thank everyone who has reviewed this story.

**Caweesh, 1994omi, Miluiel-Apsenniel, Mimikurume, datsoundgood, BonitaChickia, Handerra, Life Is Full Of Music, Anime Donna, Mystic-Dream, gothic satan-wolf, zutara011, BobsRules, roxy, Akatsuki'sBloodyNekoNinja, MissBrown22241, amber, Z1ZYX, mangaka-sensi, adriattic, Sakurachan623, wolfiegirl93, zutara-vampirepirate, Harmony Nights, AvatarAiris, Craz Lollipop-Imp, PowerMadAvatarGirl, listenxwhereitsquiet, apolla101, Allyon Everstone, EndlessBack, clairelovesedward, HimeIchigoYuki, MoonTears8, beybaska, angelthewriter, LFC, IheartZuko, CleverWriter2416, immortalxdiary, Ms. Maria and Ms. Kiera, Number22, Sapphire, kawaiiitahina123, ShySweet-luver, Inkaide, Serene6868, loggie831, Handerra, HeartBreaker640, Anime Donna, chibi-fire-girl, RebellAngell21, scooter, Dancing Water, zutarababe, WriteroftheRevolution, Waterbender Nina, kokoro420 (), vicious-fluffy-bunny-llama, .longfellow, Joe, 99writtenwords, zukosfangirlandzutara, Whateverlife46, MissMarauderBlack, monet12, VampireAle-Pokerchice15, tyty, and rock n elemental.**


	16. Chapter 13 Volleyball Match

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*I do not own any of Avatar characters (besides Matthew) or the show Avatar the Last Airbender: because if I did, Katara and Zuko would have been together.

***Congrats to loggie831 for being the first Chukrasuzu to review, CYBER COOKIES AND HUGS FOR YOU!**

*** ****Fighter by ~Miluiel-Apsenniel on deviantART.......COVER ART**

**

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Previous:

Bending with Coach (Pakku) was the class Katara was dreading but excited for. Today was the day of the volleyball tournament and Katara didn't play volleyball. Coach had chosen the day before the teams and captains. Azula, Suki, and Katara were the three captains Coach chose.

On the days that they didn't go bending (games like soccer, volleyball, kickball), students from other classes came in so they had more people to make larger teams. For example, Tylee, Mai, Jin, Jun, and Yue come in even though they don't have the class.

Azula came up with a red tank top and black spandex. Her red shoes had black lines on them with black laces. Her black hair was pulled up into a high ponytail with a firenation tie, with her sides hanging down.

Suki came up next with forest green sweats on that stopped above her knees. She wore a black tank top and black shoes with green laces. Her chestnut brown hair was pulled into a half ponytail by a green tie.

Katara followed them to where Coach was standing. Katara wore black shorts with a deep ocean blue tank top. Her blue shoes had silver outlining them with white laces. Her brown hair was pulled back into a braid.

After a coin toss, Coach decided that Suki's team would play Azula's team and then the winner would play Katara's team. Coach changed some rules and mixed things up so there would be less confusion for everybody who had never played volleyball before.

A match is made up of three games. The first two are played to 25 points and the last game is played to 15 points. The point spread had to be at least two for a team to win. No bending was allowed in a match, so skill was very important. Instead of routing positions in a normal game, everyone would stay in the same position and just switch servers.

* * *

Now:

On Suki's team, Jin was setter. Suki and Jet played front row and Pipsqueak, Haru, and Teo played back row.

On Azula's team, Tylee was setter. Azula and Mai played front row and Zuko, Chan, and Kuzan played back row.

On Katara's team, Aang was setter. Katara and Jun played front row and Yue, Hahn, and Sokka played back row.

Suki's team was pushing hard to beat Azula's team. The first game Azula won 25-18 and Suki 19-25 won the second game. The third match would decide which team would move on.

Katara's team could barely watch as Azula's team crushed Suki's team during the third game. They poured their hearts out cheering for Suki, but that didn't help them.

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Sweat dripped off her face and landed on the floor. Her breaths were labored and her mouth was open, trying to get more air. Her muscles begged her to sit down and take a break. After glancing around the court, Katara realized that she wasn't the only one feeling this.

Both teams had brought their best game and wouldn't yield to the other team. Azula 25-23 had won the first game. The second game belonged to Katara 23-25. The first two games were close and had been tough.

Every ball served was volleyed by the other team and brought back onto their side. Most times, they were able to get it up and send it back over. This had been the same way with both teams and it was taking a toll on the players.

Katara called a timeout and brought the team to a huddle. She looked around at the faces; they were covered in sweat and tiredness.

"We need something different if we want to win," informed Yue as she shifted her weight between her legs. Her face had the least amount of sweat on it and had determination on it.

"Any ideas?" asked Katara.

"We need to do something different. They have good form but they leave spots open when we go up to hit. If we can find a hole and stuff it there, then we might get a point. We need to do something other then outsides or middles," lectured Yue.

"You know volleyball?!" hollered Katara.

"You never asked me if I had played before. I have been playing for 6 years," replied Yue.

The group looked at her with amazement and glares. They never thought Yue had played volleyball before and were happy because they had a leg up on the other team. They were mad however, that Yue didn't tell them sooner and that she kept it quiet.

"Here's what we are going to do. Azula is going to serve the ball to me since I'm the weakest player in the back. Sokka is going to jump in front of me and take the pass. Then…" announced Yue.

The whistle brought the teams out of their huddles and back into their positions. Azula bounced the ball until Coach gave the signal and blew his whistle. Azula tossed the ball in the air and hit it perfectly. The ball sped towards Yue as she predicted.

Yue jumped back and Sokka slide in front of her just in time. His arms made a prefect platform and the ball went up to Aang. Aang moved to the middle to get the ball and got ready to make the set.

Jun ran to the outside and hollered, "Outside! Outside!"

Mai, Tylee, and Azula ran over to Jun's side to do a triple block. They stood together and got ready to go up for the block.

Aang got low and set the ball. He arched his back to send to ball behind him. It was tight to the net and set low for the hitter.

Katara did her approach and hit the ball. It was a line shot and Kuzan had to drive to try to make it. His hands went to the ball as he drove. The ball however, hit the ground before Kuzan could dig it up.

Cheers rose up from the team and the crowd that had been watching. The team ran together and celebrated their point. Katara called another timeout and Coach blew his whistle.

"Great hit!" congratulated Hahn as they made their circle.

"What's next?" asked Katara to Yue. Everyone's attention fell on Yue as she explained the plan.

"We can't do a triple block like them because Aang isn't tall enough. A double block should be good enough though. Jun and Katara will go up to block the hitter, but instead of blocking the ball, you will…" explained Yue.

Coach blew his whistle and the players took their positions on the court. Yue walked back to the serve line and took four large steps behind the line. She bounced the ball twice and spun it in her hand as she waited. Coach blew his whistle and gave the signal for Yue to serve.

Yue tossed the ball and took a step forward at the same time. The ball went into the air about 20 feet. She took a spike approach and jumped in the air. She hit the ball with a top spin and it sped towards Chan.

Chan had trouble getting the ball up but he made the pass to Tylee. Tylee got under the ball and set it to the middle where Mai was waiting. Jun and Katara moved to the middle and got ready to block.

Mai took her approach and hit the ball. Jun and Katara jumped up the block the ball. Both teams went in to cover the three girls.

Instead of blocking the ball, Jun tip the ball to the left. Tylee left a hole behind her when she went in to cover. Jun placed the ball perfectly behind Tylee and no one could dig the ball up.

The ball landed on the court with a thud and cheers rose up. The team jumped around together and celebrated winning the game. Suki's team came down from the bleachers and joined the celebration. They hugged each other and gave high fives to everyone.

"Amazing kill Jun! You two guys were great," cheered Sokka after he was done kissing Suki.

"So who was the brains behind those last two amazing plays? The ones before them were great too, but the last two had to be done by someone who knows volleyball," pondered Haru.

"Yue was the brains since she has played volleyball for 6 years," said Katara.

Yue blushed a little from being embarrassed. Everyone cheered her name and clapped her on the back.

"We should go to the Jasmine Dragon after school to celebrate!" yelled Jet. Cheers went up and everyone seemed happy and content for the moment.

"Do you think we should invite them? I mean they did lose but there is no need to rub it in there faces," indicated Suki as she looked at Azula's team.

"They wouldn't have invited us. So why should we invite them?" sneered Hahn. Yue hit him in the ribs and shook her head.

Katara turned towards the other team to see them looking back at each other. It was just a game; it wasn't like they were playing a major game. Katara cup her hands around her mouth and hollered, "Hey you loser team! We are going to the Jasmine Dragon after school to celebrate. See you there!"

They all looked at her and nodded there heads. The students on her side looked confused yet relieved. Katara looked back at the group and shrugged her shoulders.

"It's not like we were playing the 4A Championship game," announced Katara.

Little did Katara know that that statement would come back in their future.

* * *

*I want to thank everyone who has reviewed this story.

**Caweesh, 1994omi, Miluiel-Apsenniel, Mimikurume, datsoundgood, BonitaChickia, Handerra, Life Is Full Of Music, Anime Donna, Mystic-Dream, gothic satan-wolf, zutara011, BobsRules, roxy, Akatsuki'sBloodyNekoNinja, MissBrown22241, amber, Z1ZYX, mangaka-sensi, adriattic, Sakurachan623, wolfiegirl93, zutara-vampirepirate, Harmony Nights, AvatarAiris, Craz Lollipop-Imp, PowerMadAvatarGirl, listenxwhereitsquiet, apolla101, Allyon Everstone, EndlessBack, clairelovesedward, HimeIchigoYuki, MoonTears8, beybaska, angelthewriter, LFC, IheartZuko, CleverWriter2416, immortalxdiary, Ms. Maria and Ms. Kiera, Number22, Sapphire, kawaiiitahina123, ShySweet-luver, Inkaide, Serene6868, loggie831, Handerra, HeartBreaker640, Anime Donna, chibi-fire-girl, RebellAngell21, scooter, Dancing Water, zutarababe, WriteroftheRevolution, Waterbender Nina, kokoro420 (), vicious-fluffy-bunny-llama, .longfellow, Joe, 99writtenwords, zukosfangirlandzutara, Whateverlife46, MissMarauderBlack, monet12, VampireAle-Pokerchice15, tyty, rock n elemental, and Chukrasuzu.**


	17. Chapter 14 Who is it?

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*I do not own any of Avatar characters (besides Matthew) or the show Avatar the Last Airbender: because if I did, Katara and Zuko would have been together.

*** T149Man is the reason why this chapter is being posted, so YOU ALL should thank them!!!!!!! Thank you so much for your review and message, I loved them both and it made me want to write this chapter. =) thnk u!!! **

* * *

Previous:

"We should go to the Jasmine Dragon after school to celebrate!" yelled Jet. Cheers went up and everyone seemed happy and content for the moment.

"Do you think we should invite them? I mean they did lose but there is no need to rub it in there faces," indicated Suki as she looked at Azula's team.

"They wouldn't have invited us. So why should we invite them?" sneered Hahn. Yue hit him in the ribs and shook her head.

Katara turned towards the other team to see them looking back at each other. It was just a game; it wasn't like they were playing a major game. Katara cup her hands around her mouth and hollered, "Hey you loser team! We are going to the Jasmine Dragon after school to celebrate. See you there!"

They all looked at her and nodded there heads. The students on her side looked confused yet relieved. Katara looked back at the group and shrugged her shoulders.

"It's not like we were playing the 4A Championship game," announced Katara.

Little did Katara know that that statement would come back in their future.

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Now:

She leaned against the rail, looking down at the people. How many times had she watched them train? How many times had she wished she could find someone who was willing to be train? How many times had she wished she could find someone who would listen to her and take her advice seriously? Now she had the chance to change all of that. The only catch was that she had to find this person first.

Toph had offered earlier in the week. No, she may be tough but she wasn't ready for this life. She had yet to even witness a fight, so she didn't know what she was getting into. However, seeing with her feet could be a major technique that could catch others off guard.

Azula had promising qualities of a fighter. Her twisted mind would be a major key to have in a fighter, but it would also be her downfall. She could detect the weakness of the fighter easily and strike hard. However, Azula would not stop once she got rolling in a fight. Her cold heart would want the other fighter down and down hard. That could create some major problems.

Mai was not an option at all. True, she was deadly skilled with weapons. However, that didn't make her skilled in hand to hand combat. Her temper and personality would make her either the best fighter or the worst fighter. If she could channel her emotions, she would be an option.

Tylee was the opposite of Mai, which was both positive and negative. Her technique and style would catch many fighters off guard. The element of surprise is the best offensive in fighting. However, her cheerful and careless attitude would change greatly, once she started fighting. That wouldn't be good for anyone.

Yue, Song, Meng, Jin, and Smellerbee were not an option. That left Suki and Jun left for the girls. However, Suki was too close to Sokka and Katara wouldn't let anything happen to her. Sokka would never forgive her if anything happen to Suki. Jun could be a possibility, the only one from the girls.

Kuzan was a possibility as well as Jet. Both were skilled in hand to hand combat already and were good at it. Jet had a leg over Kuzan though by spending sometime on the streets. Kuzan only knew how to fight to land hits, while Jet knew how to fight for his life.

All freedom fighters, besides Jet, weren't an option. All of them have had hard lives before this and didn't need more stress. Duke, Pipsqueak, and Longshot were out. Their past could also conflict with Under Ground Fighting, which didn't help.

Haru, Chan, Teo, Aang, and Hahn were also out. There was no way in hell that Sokka would go in. She would see to it that hell would freeze over before Sokka became a fighter. Katara had made a promised to herself that she would do everything in her power so Sokka was never involved with the fighting ring (besides watching it).

Kuzan and Jet were the only ones to choose from on the boy's side. She had kept her list from school only and had yet to advance out from that area. She wanted someone around her age to train, not some 20-year-old person.

Katara thought back to the volleyball match. Zuko's face was priceless when Katara had invited them to the Jasmine Dragon. Zuko…

Zuko was already a skilled fighter. He needed some work on his temper, but he had the drive as most fighters. It also helped that some of their fighting style was similar to each other.

Katara stopped thinking suddenly…he was not an option. He was too damn cocky and arrogant for his own good. He had no patience for anything, let alone for a girl to work with his fighting style.

Her mind slowly drifted back to his positives though. He would be a great person to train, if he could handle a girl being his trainer. Moreover, he had already witness a fight before.

"So have you thought about being a trainer?" voiced someone as they leaned against the rail next to Katara.

Katara turned her head to see a follow fighter. James was another person Katara could somewhat trust. His shaggy chestnut brown hair stuck to his sweaty face. Light blue eyes shone under his eyebrows. You could tell he had experience with fighting from the many scars covering his chest and arms.

"Just thinking about who would be right fighter," responded Katara.

"And how is that going for you?" questioned James. A smile plastered on his face as he looked down at the people.

"No one fits the bill yet," admitted Katara.

James snorted and laughed a little. Katara looked at him with confusion on her face. He kept laughing and clapped her on her back. James shook his head and walked away. He turned back and told her that Matthew was looking for her.

Katara was confused as he walked away from her. She tried figuring out what was so damn funny as she walked down the stairs.

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"Your head isn't in the fight," barked Matthew. "Shape up! Make your punches closer together. Straighten your stance."

Katara's anger flared. She kept making stupid rookie mistakes and didn't know why. Her mind was floating between Zuko and if he was the right choice or if she should go with someone else. It also drifted to the beach party and if she should go and have fun or stay at home and train some more.

She left her legs wide open after she tempted a roundhouse kick but failed. Matthew saw this and swept her feet from under her. Katara's back landed hard against the mat. She threw her hand over her face and bit back a groan. She just couldn't clear her head and focus on the fight.

Matthew sat down next to her and leaned back on his hands. Sweat covered Katara's body, while he barely had any at all on his body. This was unusually since they were both almost equally skilled fighters. Matthew knew something was up with Katara. He hadn't seen her fight this bad since she first started fighting.

"What's on your mind?" questioned Matthew.

"I can't shut my mind off. I have so many things to do and think about. I can't stop spacing out and thinking about them. Sleep isn't going good for me and relaxing seems like a magical word to me," claimed Katara.

"Talking about your problems will help you," challenged Matthew.

Katara was about to open her mouth and tell him off when he broke in. "Not the personal stuff chica."

Katara had to hold back a laugh when Matthew spoke in Spanish. Matthew was born in Spain and spent most of his childhood in Mexico. He would speak in Spanish sometimes when they were by themselves. Katara always loved it; she loved when someone spoke a different language.

"Can we go somewhere else then?" questioned Katara.

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They sat on the warehouse roof, looking at the view surrounding them. Trees lined their view besides for a part where the mountains stood. This is where Katara came many times to think and relax. Matthew had showed it to her about a year after they met. They had spent many nights lying under the stars, not talking just taking in the peaceful surroundings.

"So what's holding you back from going to the beach party?" questioned Matthew.

"I…I don't know. It would be great to get away from the ring and school. Plus, the queen bitches aren't going to be there," babbled Katara.

Matthew snorted when he heard the queen bitches. He knew to whom she was referring to, Mai and Azula.

"I think you should go. You can blow their minds away when you show up in a bikini," snickered Matthew. Katara slugged him in the shoulder and laughed. In truth, she was very embarrassed whenever Matthew brought up bikinis. Ever since the incident when she was 15, she never talked about bikinis in front of Matthew.

Matthew laughed with Katara. For that moment, nothing else mattered; not school, not fighting, not training. Matthew watched as Katara's eyes sparkled in the sunset. The ocean blue eyes had always been able to peer into his soul. They held secrets and wisdom, but had a shield around them.

Katara had her head tipped back with her eyes closed, feeling the sunrays leave her body. Her eyes opened when she felt a hand on the back of her neck. Katara looked over at Matthew to see him closer and looking deep in her eyes.

Katara went to open her mouth and ask what was wrong, when a pair of lips met hers. Katara sat there in shock, looking wide-eyed at Matthew. His tongue traced her lips, asking for entrance. When Katara did nothing, Matthew wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer.

Katara gasped with surprised and scolded herself when she let her mouth open. Matthew's tongue slid into her mouth and moved it around slowly. He traced every inch of her mouth and rubbed her tongue. His arm around her waist moved to her hip and his hand held onto her hip.

Her hands moved to his chest and her arms shoved him away. Katara had her head down, trying to catch her breath. Her mind was racing, trying to process what just happen. She felt his hands move to her arms and slide down to her hands.

"There are people who care about you and hate to see you close off. Don't ever think that you are alone in a fight, I will always be there for you," declared Matthew. He rubbed her hands before standing up. He looked down at Katara and walked away.

Katara sat there by herself and thought to herself. She shook her head and pulled out her cell phone. She dialed a number and waited for an answer.

"Hello?" said a voice on the other end of the phone.

"Hey, I want to talk to you about Under Ground Fighting. Meet me at my house tomorrow around noon," said Katara. She kept her voice steady even though she felt it want to crack.

********************************************************************************

"Why are we going down this trail? No one has used this path for years," commented the boy as they jogged down the trail.

"No one takes the trail anymore so you don't have to worry about someone following you or seeing something they shouldn't," explained Katara.

The little path came into view and Katara lead them down it. Fall was coming early this year, noted Katara. The leaves were starting to turn colors; the orange flickered when the sun beamed down on them.

They soon approached the gate and Katara came to a walk. She turned her eyes over to the boy before she spoke.

"This is your last chance to get out. Once that gate opens, the guards will see you face and they won't forget it. After today if you don't want to fight, I can convince them to let you go, but it will be hard to do. This is some deep shit you are getting into," announced Katara.

"I know. I'm not going to regret this," shot back the boy.

Katara nodded her head and walked up to the gate. She placed her hand in the middle and push against the gate. The panel shot out of the ground, right to the left of where the boy was standing.

Katara entered her code in and the gate opened. Before jogging in, she turned to the boy.

"Never call me Katara once we walk inside this gate. You never call people by their real names here. My ring name is Dark Angel and that is the only thing you can call me when we are around other fighters. There are some people who can get away with calling people by their names, and you aren't one of them," explained Katara.

The boy nodded his head slowly. He already knew her ring name and the basic rules. He had been to enough fights to know the rights and wrongs.

Katara turned and started to jog through the gate. They made their way up the path. The boy glanced to his sides and saw the men with AK7's at their sides.

When they reached the door, the two guards tensed up. The boy couldn't tell if it was from seeing the Dark Angel of him. Someone opened the door and leaned against the frame. After giving the two guards a signal, they walked away and the person who opened door, chuckled.

"They never learn, do they SN?" noted Matthew.

"If they did then what joy would we get from scaring them," commented Katara.

Matthew turned his gaze to the boy and his eyebrows rose. His eyes traveled up and down his body before settling on his golden eyes. Katara was still a little nervous about seeing Matthew again, after what happen yesterday. However, Katara wasn't going to let that bother her or let him see that it bother her.

"You must be Kuzan," voiced Matthew with a smirk on his face.

Golden eyes narrowed and Katara knew that these two would not get along.

* * *

*I want to thank everyone who has reviewed this story.

**Caweesh, 1994omi, Miluiel-Apsenniel, Mimikurume, datsoundgood, BonitaChickia, Handerra, Life Is Full Of Music, Anime Donna, Mystic-Dream, gothic satan-wolf, zutara011, BobsRules, roxy, Akatsuki'sBloodyNekoNinja, MissBrown22241, amber, Z1ZYX, mangaka-sensi, adriattic, Sakurachan623, wolfiegirl93, zutara-vampirepirate, Harmony Nights, AvatarAiris, Craz Lollipop-Imp, PowerMadAvatarGirl, listenxwhereitsquiet, apolla101, Allyon Everstone, EndlessBack, clairelovesedward, HimeIchigoYuki, MoonTears8, beybaska, angelthewriter, LFC, IheartZuko, CleverWriter2416, immortalxdiary, Ms. Maria and Ms. Kiera, Number22, Sapphire, kawaiiitahina123, ShySweet-luver, Inkaide, Serene6868, loggie831, Handerra, HeartBreaker640, Anime Donna, chibi-fire-girl, RebellAngell21, scooter, Dancing Water, zutarababe, WriteroftheRevolution, Waterbender Nina, kokoro420 (), vicious-fluffy-bunny-llama, .longfellow, Joe, 99writtenwords, zukosfangirlandzutara, Whateverlife46, MissMarauderBlack, monet12, VampireAle-Pokerchice15, tyty, rock n elemental, Chukrasuzu, T149Man, Chocolate Thunder, Zutara-Fan022, and Aiamee.**


	18. Chapter 15: Because of You

*I do not own any of Avatar characters (besides Matthew) or the show Avatar the Last Airbender: because if I did, Katara and Zuko would have been together.

*A special thanks to my ex boyfriend who was the inspiration for one of the songs used in the chapter.

* * *

Previous:

When they reached the door, the two guards tensed up. The boy couldn't tell if it was from seeing the Dark Angel of him. Someone opened the door and leaned against the frame. After giving the two guards a signal, they walked away and the person who opened door, chuckled.

"They never learn, do they SN?" noted Matthew.

"If they did then what joy would we get from scaring them," commented Katara.

Matthew turned his gaze to the boy and his eyebrows rose. His eyes traveled up and down his body before settling on his golden eyes. Katara was still a little nervous about seeing Matthew again, after what happen yesterday. However, Katara wasn't going to let that bother her or let him see that it bother her.

"You must be Kuzan," voiced Matthew with a smirk on his face.

Golden eyes narrowed and Katara knew that these two would not get along.

* * *

Now:

"Your funny, smartass," sneered the boy. Katara grimaced and sighed as she shook her head. Matthew's back straighten and a frown took over the smirk. The boy had crossed the line and he crossed it with Matthew…not wise.

"Good luck with him, chica. I give him two days before he gets kicked out or his ass beat up," commented Matthew. His eyes shot draggers into the boy's skin as he spoke.

Matthew pushed off against the frame and walked inside, the door shutting behind him. The boy clenched his hands and glared at the door. A pair of blue eyes looking back at him broke his eyesight.

"Did I choose wrong?" voiced Katara. She directed the question to no one, not wanting an answer from him. "You better turn around right now if you cannot control your temper. Matthew is going to push your buttons in and out of the ring. He will not be the only one; you are fresh meat to the fighters. Do not be baited," stated Katara. Her voice was firm as she spoke to him.

"You knew he was going to bait me. You knew he was going call me Kuzan," accused the boy with a low voice, not wanting to create a scene.

"Something tells me that you two already have beef, so you should've known better. I'm not going to baby you and you know that. Your temper will bring the best and worst out of you. When you are here, you are a different person then who you are outside of these grounds. Do not be baited," warned Katara before turning and opening the door.

Blood and sweat met her nose as the door open. Katara smiled after she took a deep breath in. This was her home, this is where she belonged, and this was her life.

* * *

"Sore yet?" questioned Katara. The boy shook his head as he walked, taking shorter strides than normal. Katara smirked and just laughed to herself.

The more she watched him train, the more she saw herself in him. His punches were quick and hard, but not precise. He didn't know the human body and where certain punches could land and bring a grown man to his knees. His reflexes were sharp since he was a bender. His strengthen and stamina was quite high.

Katara remembered the way his body moved when he hit the bag. It was sensual to watch his body. Katara remembered very well how it affected her mind to watch him.

"I heard you had a date with some people later today," spoke the boy after several moments of silence. He glanced over at Katara to see her smile and nod her head.

"I would invite you, but I don't think your body could handle some physical work," joked Katara.

* * *

Katara slid her jacket on as she shut the house door. Her ponytail bounced slightly as she started walking down the sidewalk. Her hair wisps were being blown and twisted around her face. Katara turned her ipod on and put it on shuffle.

Katara couldn't help but walk to the beat of the song. Cowboy Casanova by Carrie Underwood came on.

_You better take it from me, that boy is like a disease  
You're running, you're trying, you're trying to hide  
And you're wondering why you can't get free  
He's like a curse, he's like a drug  
You get addicted to his love  
You wanna get out, but he's holding you down  
'Cause you can't live without one more touch_

This song always reminded her about her first boyfriend; the lyrics fitted him perfectly.

He's a good time, cowboy casanova  
Leaning up against the record machine  
He looks like a cool drink of water  
But he's candy-coated misery  
He's the devil in disguise  
A snake with blue eyes  
And he only comes out at night  
Gives you feelings that you don't want to fight  
You better run for your life

A snake with blue eyes…his blue eyes were cold, but enthralling. They pulled her in, sucking her deeper and deeper into his life.

I see that look on your face  
You ain't hearing what I say  
So I'll say it again  
'Cause I've been where you've been  
And I know how it ends  
You can't get away  
Don't even look in his eyes  
He'll tell you nothing but lies  
And you wanna believe  
But you won't be deceived  
If you listen to me  
And take my advice

Katara had tried to warn people about him; some believed her and some didn't.

_He's a good time, cowboy casanova  
Leaning up against the record machine  
He looks like a cool drink of water  
But he's candy-coated misery  
He's the devil in disguise  
A snake with blue eyes  
And he only comes out at night  
Gives you feelings that you don't want to fight  
You better run for your life_

He was truly sexy and handsome, a cool drink of water. However, once you got under his skin, you saw his true color. He was truly a devil in disguise, a devil with an ugly temper and even uglier personality.

Run, run away  
Don't let him mess with your mind  
He'll tell you anything you want to hear  
He'll break your heart  
It's just a matter of time  
But just remember

He had told Katara so many lies and everything she wanted to hear. He broke her heart…the heart she gave to him on a silver platter.

He's a good time, cowboy casanova  
Leaning up against the record machine  
He looks like a cool drink of water  
But he's candy-coated misery  
He's the devil in disguise  
A snake with blue eyes  
And he only comes out at night  
Gives you feelings that you don't want to fight  
You better run for your life

Oh, you better run for your life  
Oh, you better run for your life

Katara shook her head a little and rolled her shoulders. The song had a great beat, even though it brought back bad memories. The song changed and Katara's mindset changed.

This song always made smile and dance around. Katara unconsciously sang out aloud to this song, which got her into trouble sometimes. S.E.X by Nickelback came on, which happen to be one of her favorite songs by them.

_No is a dirty word  
Never gonna say it first  
No is just a thought that never crosses my mind  
Maybe in the parking lot  
Better bring your friend along  
Better off together than just one at a time_

Katara added a little spunk in her steps, bouncing on her feet.

S is for the simple need  
E is for the ecstasy  
X is just to mark the spot  
Because that's the one you really want  
Yes! Sex is always the answer, it's never a question  
Cause the answer's yes, oh the answers yes  
Not just a suggestion, if you ask the question  
Then it's always yes

Katara could feel herself getting lost in the music. She could always get lost in most Nickelback songs. 

I'm loving what you wanna wear  
I wonder what's up under there  
Wonder if I'll ever have it under my tongue  
I'd love to try to set you free  
All of you all over me  
Love hearin' the sound you make the second you're done

S is for the simple need  
E is for the ecstasy  
X is just to mark the spot  
Because that's the one you really want  
Yes! Sex is always the answer, it's never a question  
'Cause the answer's yes, oh the answers yes  
Not just a suggestion, if you ask the question

_Then it's always yes  
Yeah, yeah, yeah  
Yeah, yeah, yeah  
Yeah, yeah, yeah  
Yeah, yeah, yeah_

She felt her worries wash away. 

S is for the simple need  
E is for the ecstasy  
X is just to mark the spot  
Because that's the one you really want  
Yes! Sex is always the answer, it's never a question  
'Cause the answer's yes, oh the answer's yes  
Not just a suggestion, if you ask the question  
Then it's always yes. Yeah!  
Yes! Sex is always the answer, it's never a question  
'Cause the answer's yes, oh the answer's yes  
Not just a suggestion, if you ask the question  
Then it's always yes. Yeah!  
Yeah, yeah, yeah  
Yeah, yeah, yeah  
Yeah, yeah, yeah  
Yeah, yeah, yeah

YES!

"Hey Katara!" yelled a voice. Katara was grateful that the song was over because she hated pausing a song to talk with people. She reached into her pocket and turn off her ipod. Her ear buds hung around her neck before she pulled them off and stuffed them away.

"You got some wicked moves," said another voice. Katara looked at the voices to see Toph and Aang looking back at her.

Toph had her hair pulled up into a high ponytail, leaving her bangs down to frame her face. She was wearing a forest green hoodie; the hood was a pale green color. Her black cargo pants hid her black sneakers. A black, spiked belt hung off her hips on one side and a white belt held up the pants. Toph was also wearing a pair of dog tags, which spiked Katara's interest. (.com/art/Avatar-Modern-Benders-89174922)

Aang was wearing beige cargo pants with a pair of blue converse. He wore a pale yellow jacket with an orange collar (which was up) and orange cuffs. In the center of both shoulders, blue arrows came down and stopped his chest. Plus, the zipper of his jacket was the same blue arrow and the sleeves ended above his elbows. Aang was also wearing an orange headband with an airbending symbol on it. (.com/art/Avatar-Modern-Benders-89174922)

"What are you wearing today?" asked Toph as she gave a punched to Katara's fist. Toph had been asking Katara everyday what she was wearing. At first Katara thought, it was weird but slowly she realized that it was Toph's way of seeing her.

"Blue flared jeans with my black Puma's, a white t-shirt, and a jacket. The jacket is blue with white pockets, cuffs, and collar," explained Katara to Toph (.com/art/Avatar-Modern-Benders-89174922).

"Sounds simple and cute," voiced Toph. Katara just shrugged her shoulders as she looked around.

"Hey guys!" hollered a voice from behind Katara. Katara turned around to see Meng walking towards them. Meng looked very cute today, noted Katara. Meng was wearing a pink dress with black tights underneath and brown boots. The dress had a plum color rim around the bottom, sleeves, and neck area of the dress. In this rim were light purple spots. Her hair was in a braid and she wore a light purple hair clip. Something told her that Meng was on a date.

Lo and behold, Meng was walking towards them while dragging a person behind her. Meng was dragging Duke behind her. Somehow, this didn't quite surprise Katara to see Duke and Meng together.

After talking for a bit, Meng and Duke said their goodbyes and made their way down the sidewalk, hand and hand. The gang made their way to the local park and sat on the tables.

"Don't you just love non-school days in the middle of the week," commented Aang as he tapped his foot to a random beat. Katara thought she knew it from somewhere, but couldn't place the name of the song.

"They would be better if they were on a Friday or Monday, to make the weekend longer," countered Katara in joking way. Both teens cracked up laughing, Katara felt at ease with Aang and Toph.

"I'm assuming that you got the invite to Suki's beach party this weekend," started Toph. Katara nodded her head before Toph continued, "So are you going to go or not?"

"I'm not sure, I haven't made my mind up yet," answered Katara. That was the truth; Katara had no idea what she wanted to do that weekend. "Are you guys going to the party?" asked Katara.

Aang nodded his head quickly as he started to blush. Katara giggled a little because she knew that Aang wanted to go to see Toph in a bathing suit. Toph punched Aang in the arm before she looked back at Katara.

"What bathing suit are you going to wear, Toph?" asked Katara. Katara wanted to smack herself in the face for asking such a girly question. Maybe hanging around other people was a bad idea.

"I haven't decided yet, it's between two suits I have. What about you? If you go, do you have a suit?" questioned Toph. Katara nodded her slightly as she blushed. Bathing suits always reminded her of Matthew.

Katara was brought out of her daydream by her cell phone ringing. Because of You by Kelly Clarkson blared through her speakers. The song froze Katara; she had set that song for only one person. Her body became rigid and her mind clouded up. Never once in her life did she think that a song could have this effect on her. Well…in truth it wasn't the song that was getting to her…it was the caller on the other end.

"You going to get that?" questioned Aang with his eyebrows raised in confusion. Katara shook her head and hit quiet.

"I gotta go, see you tomorrow at school," babbled Katara. She got up quickly and made her way home. Her mind was so out of focus that she missed her name being called and a pair of eyes following her every movement.

* * *

The day was a blur for Katara. It was a blur until she got to Weapons that day. Since Katara had beaten Jun in the first round, she got to go to the second round. There were 32 students in the class and 16 students were going to the second round.

Katara sat there, drumming her fingers against the mat. The bad thing about being a no one was the fact that you were treated like everyone else. Katara learned this very quickly. She could have people bending over backwards for her in the under ground fighting world, but anywhere else, she was just a weird teenage girl.

"Katara and Suki," hollered the teacher. Katara got up and picked up a wooden sword. She took her place as Suki took her place on the mat. The fateful words were said and the dual began.

This duel was different than the last one Katara was in. Suki was a much better fighter than Jun. However, the only reason why was the fact that Suki had skills with fans and small blades, while Jun was only skilled with…a whip.

Suki made the first move and Katara countered it with her own move. Katara knew that Suki could meet her step for step without blades, so trying to move around her wouldn't work well. Katara knew in order to win, she would have to wait until Suki left a hole open.

Katara didn't have to wait long in order for Suki to raise her sword high above her head. Katara shot forward and place the tip of the wooden blade at her jugular. Suki's eyes went wide for a second and went normal as she smiled. The sound of wooden hitting the mat brought Katara's blade from Suki's neck.

* * *

*I want to thank everyone who has reviewed this story.

**Caweesh, 1994omi, Miluiel-Apsenniel, Mimikurume, datsoundgood, BonitaChickia, Handerra, Life Is Full Of Music, Anime Donna, Mystic-Dream, gothic satan-wolf, zutara011, BobsRules, roxy, Akatsuki'sBloodyNekoNinja, MissBrown22241, amber, Z1ZYX, mangaka-sensi, adriattic, Sakurachan623, wolfiegirl93, zutara-vampirepirate, Harmony Nights, AvatarAiris, Craz Lollipop-Imp, PowerMadAvatarGirl, listenxwhereitsquiet, apolla101, Allyon Everstone, EndlessBack, clairelovesedward, HimeIchigoYuki, MoonTears8, beybaska, angelthewriter, LFC, IheartZuko, CleverWriter2416, immortalxdiary, Ms. Maria and Ms. Kiera, Number22, Sapphire, kawaiiitahina123, ShySweet-luver, Inkaide, Serene6868, loggie831, Handerra, HeartBreaker640, Anime Donna, chibi-fire-girl, RebellAngell21, scooter, Dancing Water, zutarababe, WriteroftheRevolution, Waterbender Nina, kokoro420 (), vicious-fluffy-bunny-llama, .longfellow, Joe, 99writtenwords, zukosfangirlandzutara, Whateverlife46, MissMarauderBlack, monet12, VampireAle-Pokerchice15, tyty, rock n elemental, Chukrasuzu, T149Man, Chocolate Thunder, Zutara-Fan022, Aiamee and chronos-girl.**


	19. Chapter 16: Her Destruction

*I do not own any of Avatar characters (besides Matthew and James) or the show Avatar the Last Airbender: because if I did, Katara and Zuko would have been together.

*Sorry I haven't updated in a very long time, I have been busy with school, sports, and personal issues.

* * *

Previous:

Katara was brought out of her daydream by her cell phone ringing. Because of You by Kelly Clarkson blared through her speakers. The song froze Katara; she had set that song for only one person. Her body became rigid and her mind clouded up. Never once in her life did she think that a song could have this effect on her. Well…in truth it wasn't the song that was getting to her…it was the caller on the other end.

"You going to get that?" questioned Aang with his eyebrows raised in confusion. Katara shook her head and hit quiet.

"I gotta go, see you tomorrow at school," babbled Katara. She got up quickly and made her way home. Her mind was so out of focus that she missed her name being called and a pair of eyes following her every movement.

* * *

The day was a blur for Katara. It was a blur until she got to Weapons that day. Since Katara had beaten Jun in the first round, she got to go to the second round. There were 32 students in the class and 16 students were going to the second round.

Katara sat there, drumming her fingers against the mat. The bad thing about being a no one was the fact that you were treated like everyone else. Katara learned this very quickly. She could have people bending over backwards for her in the under ground fighting world, but anywhere else, she was just a weird teenage girl.

"Katara and Suki," hollered the teacher. Katara got up and picked up a wooden sword. She took her place as Suki took her place on the mat. The fateful words were said and the dual began.

This duel was different than the last one Katara was in. Suki was a much better fighter than Jun. However, the only reason why was the fact that Suki had skills with fans and small blades, while Jun was only skilled with…a whip.

Suki made the first move and Katara countered it with her own move. Katara knew that Suki could meet her step for step without blades, so trying to move around her wouldn't work well. Katara knew in order to win, she would have to wait until Suki left a hole open.

Katara didn't have to wait long in order for Suki to raise her sword high above her head. Katara shot forward and place the tip of the wooden blade at her jugular. Suki's eyes went wide for a second and went normal as she smiled. The sound of wooden hitting the mat brought Katara's blade from Suki's neck.

* * *

Now:

Katara sat down and tried not to sigh aloud. While Suki put up a half decent fight, she still wasn't any competition. Katara zoned out for the rest of the day, even after school. If questioned what she did and where she went from after school to the next day at school, Katara probably couldn't give you a straight answer.

Calculus was the next thing she clearly remembered and that was only because Suki and Yue were in that class.

"Please tell me you are coming to my party?" begged Suki. Katara looked over at Suki and kept a straight face.

"Only if you promise to make out with my brother when I'm not looking," stated Katara. Suki's face went red with embarrassment then to amusement. Katara sure knew how to make people stay on their toes.

"Only if you promise to have fun at the party," bargained Suki. "And I do not mean your usual fun like how you act at school. I want to see you relax and carefree," laughed Suki. Katara only shrugged and went back into a haze. She didn't want to break it to Suki that she could never really relax. Katara had been on the edge since the phone call.

"Hey Katara!" shouted someone. Katara snapped her head up to see Aang's face staring back at her. Concern was laced in his eyes. "Are you ok, Katara?" asked Aang.

Katara only nodded her head, too afraid to trust her voice. "I thought we were friends," stated Aang. Sadness in his voice was clear and very evident. "Friends talk to each other, they trust each other, and care about each other," chirped Aang.

"I'm not a friend. I don't pour my heart to people I don't care about. I don't trust people I don't know or care about. And I don't care about anyone but myself," announced Katara. Deep down she knew that she was wrong, but her mind and heart were done.

Katara couldn't stand school much longer. She needed to blow steam off and just have time to think. She was going to do the one thing she was good at.

* * *

Drip…drip…drip…drip…

The water was tickling down slowly and swirling into the drain. Katara sat on a counter, one leg dangling off the edge and one bent up. Her back was against the wall with her head leaning against the mirror. This is how James found her.

After a few moments, James walked up and sat down on the other end of the counter. James moved his body into the same position as Katara and stared silently at her.

James had watched Katara the entire time as soon as she walked through the door. This was normal, James was known for observing the surrounding. He knew from the beginning that Katara was off and something wasn't quite right. Her strikes were hard and unforgiving. Katara had gone through five punching bags before moving on to ten different partners. After beating the shit out of the other fighters, Katara had moved on to her own torture. She had gone through several different push-ups, sit-ups, several different curl-ups, extreme weight lifting, hours of jump rope, miles of laps, and back to punching bags. She spent hours on the punching bags.

She was pushing herself far beyond her limit. James was not the only one to witness her self-torture, most of the other fights saw this. No one had dared approach her or even talk about her unless they were a safe distance away. James remembered the last times Katara had pushed herself this hard…he could only wonder if Katara was dealing with demons from her past.

Pain. This is all Katara felt. Her whole body screamed in agony as it throbbed with a burning pain. The muscles had been strained and tormented the moment she stepped into the warehouse. Even her bones were burning with misery, which never happened. Her heart was filled with bitterness and anguished. The only part of Katara that was numb was her mind.

Her mind may be numb, but questions swarmed it. The biggest question on her mind was about the phone call and her past. Her heart has suffered enough from the first break cause by her past. Her trust in people dissolved with his unfaithfulness. She was afraid.

Her eyes widen a faction. She was afraid. She was afraid to trust. She was afraid to break free. She was afraid to open up. She was afraid to adventure out. She was afraid to let anyone else in. It was all because of him.

Katara's eyes began to cloud over with water. She blinked a few times, not daring to cry again. She swore that she would never cry again. Enough tears had been shed over him and her…her mom.

She felt him before she heard him. James moved to sit close to the sink with his legs touching hers. Katara didn't realize that she had company, but knew she hasn't exactly paying attention.

"I'm going to clean your hands up, Katara," said James. The water began to flow more and Katara's hands were met with cold water. She looked down to see her hands swallowed up by blood. Blood, but no pain.

Fingers made their way over her hand. They pressed against her skin with enough pressure to clean, but not hurt. Katara watched as the blood flowed from her into the sink before swirling down the drain. She knew better, you always treated any and all wounds as soon as you were done.

"You aren't going to ask?" questioned Katara. She knew he had seen the difference in her.

"Nope. You aren't ready to talk about it. Besides, you never talked about the demons from your past," stated James. He kept working on her hand; sicken to see the damage done. Her knuckles were shredded, fingers bruised, and nail marks embedded into her palm. Blood oozed out of her knuckles and palm.

"Demons from my past uh?" chuckled Katara with a smile. "The list of demons is very short, but the list of opponents is long. There is a difference between them, thank god."

"Yeah, so which reach recently your heart?" addressed James. Katara's head snapped up suddenly as she looked at his head.

"I thought you wouldn't ask about it," accused Katara.

"I didn't when you weren't ready, but now you are."

Katara sighed deeply before leaning back and resting her head against the mirror. "I don't know where to begin…" trailing off. Katara couldn't believe she was doing this.

"Well seeing as you screwed up big time with your hands and with your body, you have some time to kill," announced James. He got up and reached under the sink pulling out a first aid kit. Sitting back down, James opened the kit up and went back to work.

Katara sat in silence the entire time. Could she open up to someone other than Matthew? Was she ready for someone else to know her secrets? Would James be able to treat her the same way after knowing everything? After thinking about it for a while, Katara launched into her tale.

* * *

"Are you coming or not Katara!" yelled Sokka from the other side of the door of Katara's room. He was already ten minutes late and Katara was not ready. He had yet to see her all morning, figuring they missed each other. Gran Gran had already left to gossip with the other old women at the parlor an hour ago.

"Goddamnit, Katara! Will you hurry your ass up! I'm not going to be late," hollered Sokka again.

"I'll drive myself there," droned Katara. Her voice was awful sounding; her throat was dry and scratchy. She was sure Sokka would notice and demand that she open the door. However, he didn't catch the hint.

"Whatever sis," snorted Sokka. Jogging down the stairs, grabbing his bag and keys, Sokka made his way to the car. The front door slammed loudly as Sokka left. The sound of his Jaguar roared to life and as quickly as it came, it disappeared.

Katara laid on her bed, staring at nothing. She had gotten home fairly late and had yet to go to sleep. Her body begged for sleep, but her mind could not be settled. Katara wanted a cold glass of milk to soothe her mind, not her throat. Milk always reminded Katara of her mother and how she would cheer Katara up. A tall glass of cold milk with a bowl of peppermint ice cream topped with strawberries and a single dollop of whip cream would always cheer Katara up. A smile formed on Katara's face as she remembered her mother.

As quickly as thoughts about her mother came, they were gone and replaced with others. Nothing went right in her life. She was always hurt in this cruel world. Katara closed her eyes and tried to drift away from the world that hurt her.

Not a minute had gone by before a cell started ringing. Tangled Up In Me by Skye Sweetnam was playing and Katara groaned. She had set that ringtone for everyone at the school. She debated about getting it and whom it might be.

One…two…three…four…screw it. Katara let her phone go to voicemail before getting up and turning it off. Katara laid back down on her back. She slowly drifted into her own bliss, ignoring everything around her.

_Laughing fills the air like a blanket of fresh snow in Mount Fuji. I open my eyes to see the blue sky staring back at me. I can smell the fresh cut grass and hear the creek flowing. Slowly I sit up and look around at my surroundings. The only other person near me is a beautiful woman._

"_It's time to go, honey. Your daddy is waiting for us with dinner," called the woman. Her mahogany hair is flowing freely around her face. She has sapphire eyes, which are shining brightly against her skin. This woman is definitely beautiful and more importantly, my mother._

"_Can't we stay a bit longer mommy," I whined. I wanted to stay in the park longer since we don't come here often. Only if mommy could push me on the swings and name the clouds with me._

_Mommy smiles more and I knew that I won the battle. "We are leaving the park, honey. How about we stop and see Daisuke-san before we head home?"_

_Daisuke-san! I nod my head really fast and get up quickly. Daisuke-san had the best ice cream in all of Mie. My mommy could only laugh at me, as I run toward her. I'm only thinking about what flavor I should get. I really wanted chocolate, but peanut butter sounds good too. The only thing I knew is that I will not get peppermint. Mommy makes the best peppermint ice cream, nothing will be better._

_We stop in front of the door; I don't remember the walk here, but I don't care. Running inside I see Daisuke-san standing by man. I yell, "Daisuke-san!" She turns and breaks a smile for me. Daisuke-san has always been nice to mommy and me._

_After giving me a big hug, Daisuke-san asks, "What flavor are you getting today?"_

_Grinning big I tell her I want mint-chocolate covered with sprinkles. Mommy comes over and talks with Daisuke-san for a bit. I don't listen to them because they talk about boring stuff._

"_Mommy, I gotta go potty!"_

"_Go potty then wash your hands extra well. You will only get your treat if you clean really good, sweetie."_

_I race off to bathroom, knowing I have to wash my hands really really good._

_Stupid dirt…warm water…pretty bubbles…I need to wash my hands good._

_BANG! AAAAAAAHHHHHHH! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!_

_I drop the soap, so scared…so scared. Where's mommy? Where's Daisuke-san? Mommy's by the counter. Go to mommy. Mommy will make the bad things go away._

"_Mommy!" I yell as I run out of the potty room. Where's my mommy? I want my mommy!_

_Mommy? Mommy…mommy…mommy…MOMMY!_

_Mommy isn't getting up. She only lays there on the ground. My hands touch something red…metal smelling…red…no. I shake mommy more wanting her to wake up. Wake up mommy. Mommy get up. Why aren't you getting up? Why won't your eyes open? Mommy I'm scared!_

"MOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!_"_

Katara jolted awake. Sweat covered her body from head to toe, clothes drenched with it. Her heart was bounding against her rib cage and her breathing was raged. It was only a dream. Only a dream, Katara reminded herself. No…it wasn't a dream…it was a memory…of her past…of her mother.

Tears were running down her face and soaking the blankets. Her body was no longer sore, only her heart was feeling. This dream…no memory…was so real. Why now? Why was she doing this to herself? Her heart couldn't take much more cracks.

Her door slammed opened and the roar of life filled her room and ears. Katara looked over to see people starting back at her. Faces. Faces filled with emotions, all kinds of emotions. Katara was too out of it to know what emotions they were or who was even looking back at her.

She felt arms wrap around her. She clung to the person's shirt and buried her head into the chest. At the moment the only thing Katara knew was the fact that it was a guy. From the corner of her head, Katara heard her door shut and footsteps on the stairs. However, at this moment, Katara only wanted to lose herself in this person's arms. She wanted to shut the world out and let her emotions take over her control. And she did.

* * *

*I want to thank everyone who has reviewed this story.

Caweesh, 1994omi, Miluiel-Apsenniel, Mimikurume, datsoundgood, BonitaChickia, Handerra, Life Is Full Of Music, Anime Donna, Mystic-Dream, gothic satan-wolf, zutara011, BobsRules, roxy, Akatsuki'sBloodyNekoNinja, MissBrown22241, amber, Z1ZYX, mangaka-sensi, adriattic, Sakurachan623, wolfiegirl93, zutara-vampirepirate, Harmony Nights, AvatarAiris, Craz Lollipop-Imp, PowerMadAvatarGirl, listenxwhereitsquiet, apolla101, Allyon Everstone, EndlessBack, clairelovesedward, HimeIchigoYuki, MoonTears8, beybaska, angelthewriter, LFC, IheartZuko, CleverWriter2416, immortalxdiary, Ms. Maria and Ms. Kiera, Number22, Sapphire, kawaiiitahina123, ShySweet-luver, Inkaide, Serene6868, loggie831, Handerra, HeartBreaker640, Anime Donna, chibi-fire-girl, RebellAngell21, scooter, Dancing Water, zutarababe, WriteroftheRevolution, Waterbender Nina, kokoro420 (), vicious-fluffy-bunny-llama, .longfellow, Joe, 99writtenwords, zukosfangirlandzutara, Whateverlife46, MissMarauderBlack, monet12, VampireAle-Pokerchice15, tyty, rock n elemental, Chukrasuzu, T149Man, Chocolate Thunder, Zutara-Fan022, Aiamee, chronos-girl, ZuTaRaInLoVa, Whatever-life24, rima-chan11, DemonicMoonBabe, Alexis Kesler, SecretWarrior, num1avatarfan, AnnaAza, Whatever-life24, MonkeysAreMyLife, aaliona, and wolf vampire girl.


	20. Update: Please Read

Update:

My boyfriend's younger brother is in the hospital now. His brother, James, has Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. It has been a very difficult time with his family and me. I am very close with the family and James.

I'm very close with ending the next chapter of Fighter/Forbidden Love/Double Bender. However, due to the turn of events, I have stopped writing. I can only hope that my readers can be understanding in this difficult time. I have to put the stories on hold until things have settled down. I apologize to the people who I told that I would have a chapter posted before June. I just cannot do it at this moment in time.

Thank you for your understanding,

Waterrockz


	21. Chapter 17: The Past

*I do not own any of Avatar characters (besides Matthew and James) or the show Avatar the Last Airbender: because if I did, Katara and Zuko would have been together.

My boyfriend's brother passed away. I have no idea if I will finish this story or not. And for the people who keep telling me to suck it up because they want me to hurry up and update, be thankful I don't know your real names. You know who you are because all eleven of you sent me private messages, complaining to me about who slow I am to update, even after reading the update.

For everyone else who have been understanding and considerate of my circumstances, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Knowing that everyone (besides eleven people) were supporting me, helped me through writing this chapter. Thank you!

Here is a link where you can view all photos for Fighter. It will also be posted on my profile.

.com/albums/xx316/waterrockz/Pictures%20for%20Fighter/

Previous:

Katara jolted awake. Sweat covered her body from head to toe, clothes drenched with it. Her heart was bounding against her rib cage and her breathing was raged. It was only a dream. Only a dream, Katara reminded herself. No…it wasn't a dream…it was a memory…of her past…of her mother.

Tears were running down her face and soaking the blankets. Her body was no longer sore, only her heart was feeling. This dream…no memory…was so real. Why now? Why was she doing this to herself? Her heart couldn't take much more cracks.

Her door slammed opened and the roar of life filled her room and ears. Katara looked over to see people starting back at her. Faces. Faces filled with emotions, all kinds of emotions. Katara was too out of it to know what emotions they were or who was even looking back at her.

She felt arms wrap around her. She clung to the person's shirt and buried her head into the chest. At the moment the only thing Katara knew was the fact that it was a guy. From the corner of her head, Katara heard her door shut and footsteps on the stairs. However, at this moment, Katara only wanted to lose herself in this person's arms. She wanted to shut the world out and let her emotions take over her control. And she did.

Now:

"It's my fault," cried Katara. She could never forgive herself. It was her fault that her mom was dead. Katara only continued to babble more, "She is dead because of me."

"Shhhh" comforted the boy. Katara felt herself being rocked and hands rubbing circles on her back. Disgust filled Katara, she knew what the truth was. It was her fault. She was to blame. Mom is dead because of her.

"No," choked Katara. "If I had…hadn't wanted to…to play at the…the pa…park longer then we...we wouldn't—"

"Shhhh…calm down Katara," soothed the boy.

"S…so much…bl…blood…blood," rambled Katara. Memories flooded her head again. The blood. The pain. The silence. There was death everywhere. The gunshots started ringing in her ears. Katara covered her ears with her hands and dug her nail into her skin. The screams and gunshots wouldn't leave her alone. Katara desperately wanted the silence over these sounds. They were the sounds that changed Katara's life forever.

Hands covered her own and forced her head up. Katara couldn't hear the words he was saying. Tears blurred her vision, her body shaking, her lungs dieing to get more air. She couldn't calm down. Katara started hyperventilating.

"Shhhh, Katara. You need to calm down. It's okay, you are safe. Your were with me," pleaded the boy. Katara only shook her head, wanting the noises to go away. The screams were echoing throughout her head. Screams of pain. Screams of death.

"Look at me Katara!" voiced the boy. Katara barely heard his voice. The gunshots were too loud, they took over all other noises.

"Katara!" the boy hissed. "Open your eyes please!"

Katara felt warmth spread across her face. Cinnamon washed over Katara like a blanket of snow on…no…she wouldn't go down that road…but it was too late.

"Please let me in. I want to help you, Tara" begged the boy. Katara's eyes shot open and her breathing stop all together. Her ocean blue eyes met golden eyes and so did his scar.

"What did you just call me?" stuttered Katara. She hadn't heard that name since she was a little girl.

Zuko looked away, feeling guilty. "It slipped out, sorry. But it got you to calm a bit down."

Katara, for the first time, noticed how close Zuko was to her. His forehead was against her own and Katara was flushed against his body. Katara noticed that Zuko smelled really good; cinnamon with a hint of woods. The other things on her mind kept her busy from lecturing herself about liking Zuko's smell.

"I…I haven't been called Tara since…since…since…" mumbled Katara.

"Shhh, don't push yourself," hushed Zuko. The last thing he wanted was for Katara to start hyperventilating again.

Katara took a deep breath, wanting to calm herself down enough to talk without stuttering. "Since my…mom died." Silence filled the room, besides her breathing.

"Getting certain things off your chest will help," proposed Zuko. He didn't want Katara to break down again, but he knew from experience that talking would help sometimes. The one thing that Zuko didn't want to do was to push Katara too far, too fast.

Katara wasn't sure about that one. Bottling her emotions up and putting a wall up was what she knew best. Letting her heart be at risk was the last thing Katara wanted. Her heart had been damaged too much. Could she trust Zuko enough to let him in?

"I mi…miss my mom," uttered Katara. She broke off her sentence to let the tears choke her up. Zuko waited for Katara to catch her breath while he brushed her tears away with his thumbs. Patience was key now, along with gentleness.

"Every…everyone expects me to…to be strong…my world breaks…down when I'm alone…I can't do it…I want to giv…give up," babbled Katara.

"You can't do that Tara,"

"W…why no…not?"

"Because its not you. You are a fighter Tara, and not just in the ring. You managed to hold your head up high every day no matter what life throws at you. It is in your nature to be strong against anything, but sometimes you need to learn that it's ok to show emotion. You will never give into the pain, but you can give into your sadness," explained Zuko. This was new territory for him as well as Katara. He never felt this way for anyone before and Zuko had not decided if it was a good or bad thing.

Katara sat there in Zuko's embrace, not saying a word. Her tears kept flowing, but the hyperventilating stopped. Why was Zuko being so…understanding and caring with her?

"You are alone a lot. Why do you put yourself in that situation? There are many people around you who wouldn't mind your company," questioned Zuko.

She didn't have an answer to that. Of course, she had the automatic answer, which was to shove it up his ass and leave her the hell alone. But now…now that questioned seemed to speak volumes to her.

"Forget about it. I know it is hard to open up to someone you don't trust, yet alone someone you barely know," responded Zuko. Pushing her too fast would cause her to close out the world.

"How do…do you kno…know what it…it is li…like?" asked Katara.

"You aren't the only one with demons in their past, Katara," stated Zuko.

Katara started chuckling after Zuko spoke. Zuko looked at Katara with concern in his eyes. Katara could only shake her head before taking a deep breath, calming herself down. "You are the second person…today to say that."

Zuko smiled a little, trying to make her feel better. He couldn't help but wonder who else knew Katara that well. Who else would Katara open up to?

"Matthew…" grumbled Zuko with distaste. Katara picked up on his tone, even with her given state of mind.

"Leave Matthew out of this. And no. He wasn't the one to say that to me," commented Katara with a teasing voice. Zuko let go of her face and leaned back on her bed. Katara stayed sited and looked down at the first boy who has been in her bed.

"He called me Kuzan," mumbled Zuko.

"That's because he sees you as a threat," laughed Katara. Zuko looked cute pouting and jealous. Wait…jealous? "You wouldn't be jealous now, would you?"

"No I'm not!" snapped Zuko. Could she really read him that well? Zuko wasn't about to let Katara go out of this playful mood. "What do I have to be jealous of?"

Katara only shook her head as she stared out the window by her bed. She didn't dare answer that question out aloud. She surely didn't want to make a fool out of herself when she said it was because Matthew got to spend time with her and kissed her. Zuko didn't like her that way, so why make that comment.

"I guess you answered everyone's question," voiced Zuko. Katara looked back at him to see him staring at her.

"What question?" asked Katara.

"You weren't at school today. No one could get a hold of you, your cell was off," explained Zuko.

"Why would people be worried about me?" snorted Katara. After the things she said to Aang, he should be the last person wanting to talk to her. Toph was friends with Aang, so she probably didn't want to talk to her either.

"Sokka drove up pissed to school. He kept rambling about his stupid sister sleeping in and making him late. Suki was the one to remind him that you don't sleep in because you go running in the morning. Then it kind of hit Sokka, you could actually see the light bulb go off," chuckled Zuko.

Katara snorted a bit, she could actually see that. Sokka was not the brightest male in the world, but his heart was in the right place. Katara's head was a jumbled mess and that was the excuse she used when she found herself laying next to Zuko. Zuko had pulled her down and put her at his side. Katara was too much of an emotional wreck to think otherwise.

Zuko continued with his story after putting his arm around Katara to pull her closer, "Suki started asking questions and Sokka, with each answer, felt guiltier. He mumbled that he would go check in on you at lunch if you didn't show up. The three of us were making our way out of the parking lot when Aang caught up with us. He wondered if you were ok because you seemed pretty upset from a call you got."

Katara felt her body freeze up a bit. What did Aang tell them? Aang didn't know anything, so she should be fine…right?

"He mentioned the ringtone and Sokka started yelling at him. Suki couldn't even calm him down enough to get a story from him. Sokka about ran over one of the freshmen teachers trying to get out of parking lot. That's pretty much when Suki told him to get into the passenger seat…well not exactly in those choice words."

Suki telling Sokka that he was blowing smoke up his ass if he thought that he could drive was a funny moment to see. It got even funnier when Suki told Sokka that he didn't get into that seat, she wouldn't have sex with him anymore. Sokka's face was priceless, shock…complete and utter shock.

"Who's downstairs?" whispered Katara.

"Suki and Sokka,"

"Aang?"

"Nope. He went to ask Toph if she knew anything," explained Zuko.

"Why am I holding you?" asked Katara. She was truly confused on why Zuko was here and not her own brother. Why would Sokka ever allow another male, who wasn't related to them, in her room? Why wasn't he acing all protective and like a big brother?

She felt him move this time, which showed Katara that her mind was starting to function again. Zuko was leaning over her with his legs on either side of her own. His eyes were burning with emotions as he stared into blue ones.

"Do you wish it was Matthew instead?" growled Zuko. Rage was evident in his voice and fire burned in his eyes. Why was Zuko so angry with Matthew?

"What?"

"You wish it was Matt above you right now! Why am I not good enough for you?" barked Zuko. Anger rolled off his shoulders as his hands dug into the sheets. Katara had seen Zuko angry before, but this time was different.

"Why is Matt better than me? What's wrong with me? Why won't you choose me, father? What does Azula have that I don't?" hollered Zuko. Katara saw Zuko…really saw him. His body was shaking, his muscles tight and ready to fight or flee, and his eyes. His eyes had a haunted glaze in them. The same glaze Katara would get when she remembered her demons.

Katara wrapped her arms around Zuko and pulled him down. She was so stupid; Zuko was running from his own demons. Katara gently whispered, "It's ok, Zuko. I'm not your dad. You outshine Azula in every aspect."

Zuko was stunned. How could she say that? What did she know? But…he didn't care anymore. Someone, other than his mother and his uncle, had told him that he mattered. Zuko let Katara hold him as he buried his head into her neck. Both teenagers could feel hot tears on Katara's neck, but they didn't seem to care. Katara didn't understand what happen. She never felt this close to someone, besides her mother and father…before her father changed.

Matthew never broke down in front of her. She could not even remember a time when Matt had cried. If Matt did cry, it was never in front of her. There had been only a handful of times when Katara cried, and Matt was there for a few. Sokka had been there when she woke up in the dead of the night with night terrors, before and after they moved from Japan. When they were still living in Japan, the terrors were worse and it took hours before anyone could calm Katara down. After moving to the U.S., the terrors continued until Katara found Under Ground Fighting. Since then, Katara found an outlet for her anger and fear…but she would never admit the fear part. James was there in the shadows, watching and waiting. She could always count on him to be there in case she felt like breaking. Yesterday was a perfect example of how James had her back.

Katara waited until she felt Zuko calm down before she would start. He deserved to know some of the truth…the whole truth would scare him off. It would have him running to the hills, if he found out the truth.

"I was eight years old when I started fighting. I had so much anger in me from…from my mom's death. It wasn't just anger that filled me though, it was guilt, hurt, and fear. My dad taught me basic moves when we stilled lived in Japan. He was different then…before her passing. Everything changed after that for him, Sokka, and me."

"No one could believe that a small kid could handle someone twice their size. Matt helped me focused my feelings into punches. He was only eleven at the time, when I first came. His dad was a big hotshot in the fighting world, hence why Matt was there. He taught me all the rules and how to survive in a dog-eat-dog world. He was my trainer and my friend. I had no one at school…kids don't want to play with a broken toy."

"You're not a broken toy, Katara. You are much more than that," uttered Zuko. His voice was muffled since his face was still pressed against her skin. Katara smiled a little a though because he was listening to her.

"He is more than trainer to me," stated Katara.

Zuko's body became tense and rigid. "But he is no more than a best friend to me. I go to him for advice and to vent…well not much anymore. He has been and will always be just a friend to me," finished Katara.

"I guess it's my turn, huh?" joked Zuko. He knew that Katara had made a step in opening up to him. It was only fair to return the favor. He could feel Katara trying to shrug, but it was hard to do since he was laying on her.

"My father has always been the same way. Ever since Azula and I were infants, Azula was his favorite. He would always pick her over me, every single time. I did every thing that Azula did and more, hoping to catch his eye and his love. I always pushed myself to do and become better. My mother and uncle were the only ones who cared for me. They gave me love at every turn, but it wasn't enough. My uncle lived in the Deep South, so he only visited a few weeks out the year. My father and his brother never quite got along…not like my uncle and my mother."

"My mother was the only there every day to tell me that she loved me and I was doing amazing with my bending and school work. When she died…I lost it all. No one was there to tell me that I was doing ok and to slow down. All I heard was Azula this and Azula that and why can't you be more like your sister. Nothing I did was ever good enough for him. It wasn't until I went to live with my uncle that I felt normal again. But even then, I still wanted love and acceptance."

"People idol you, Zuko. You're the 'it' boy and everyone wants to be you or date you. Love and acceptance are all around you…you just have to look carefully at the people who surround you," spoke Katara.

Gold met blue. How could they say the rights things when they both are hurt? "And by the way, Matt doesn't have anything you don't have," jested Katara.

"That's good to know," snorted Zuko. They had opened themselves up to each other and took risks. Both came out unharmed and almost happy. This was a new area that they had never been before and neither wanted to slip and ruin everything.

"So…" started Zuko.

"So?"

"Where do we go from here?" asked Zuko. The question had been playing on Katara's mind as well. Where in the hell did they go from here?

*I want to thank everyone who has reviewed this story.

Caweesh, 1994omi, Miluiel-Apsenniel, Mimikurume, datsoundgood, BonitaChickia, Handerra, Life Is Full Of Music, Anime Donna, Mystic-Dream, gothic satan-wolf, zutara011, BobsRules, roxy, Akatsuki'sBloodyNekoNinja, MissBrown22241, amber, Z1ZYX, mangaka-sensi, adriattic, Sakurachan623, wolfiegirl93, zutara-vampirepirate, Harmony Nights, AvatarAiris, Craz Lollipop-Imp, PowerMadAvatarGirl, listenxwhereitsquiet, apolla101, Allyon Everstone, EndlessBack, clairelovesedward, HimeIchigoYuki, MoonTears8, beybaska, angelthewriter, LFC, IheartZuko, CleverWriter2416, immortalxdiary, Ms. Maria and Ms. Kiera, Number22, Sapphire, kawaiiitahina123, ShySweet-luver, Inkaide, Serene6868, loggie831, Handerra, HeartBreaker640, Anime Donna, chibi-fire-girl, RebellAngell21, scooter, Dancing Water, zutarababe, WriteroftheRevolution, Waterbender Nina, kokoro420 (), vicious-fluffy-bunny-llama, .longfellow, Joe, 99writtenwords, zukosfangirlandzutara, Whateverlife46, MissMarauderBlack, monet12, VampireAle-Pokerchice15, tyty, rock n elemental, Chukrasuzu, T149Man, Chocolate Thunder, Zutara-Fan022, Aiamee, chronos-girl, ZuTaRaInLoVa, Whatever-life24, rima-chan11, DemonicMoonBabe, Alexis Kesler, SecretWarrior, num1avatarfan, AnnaAza, , MonkeysAreMyLife, aaliona, wolf vampire girl, zutaradramionechanny, avatar-cutiepie, Scarlet-Star1234, ShexWantsxRevengex, Sadistically Fantastic, elainehac123, zutaraXxporkeh, Glasswater, iceprincessrules, BrokenAngel363, Nadiakiara, .RealityxX, Stella-TakeMeHome-, PurpleMeltDown, haildenver, and marmitefishandeggs.


	22. Chapter 18: Black Phoenix

*I do not own any of Avatar characters (besides Matthew and James) or the show Avatar the Last Airbender: because if I did, Katara and Zuko would have been together.

*Pictures of any cars, tattoos, dresses, or swim trunks can be found at photo bucket .com (without the spaces) under Waterrockz

* * *

Previously:

Gold met blue. How could they say the rights things when they both are hurt? "And by the way, Matt doesn't have anything you don't have," jested Katara.

"That's good to know," snorted Zuko. They had opened themselves up to each other and took risks. Both came out unharmed and almost happy. This was a new area that they had never been before and neither wanted to slip and ruin everything.

"So…" started Zuko.

"So?"

"Where do we go from here?" asked Zuko. The question had been playing on Katara's mind as well. Where in the hell did they go from here?

* * *

Now:

"You ready for tonight," asked Katara. She was currently looking into the mirror, fixing her hair. Most of the time her hair was cooperative or she just didn't care. However, tonight was different, tonight was judgment day.

"We have already gone over this, Katara," huffed Zuko. He was leaning against the wall in the hallway, waiting for Katara to come out. They had been training extra hard all week for tonight. "Why are you so concerned about me? It's my reputation on the line, not yours."

Katara laughed and twisted the cap-stick shut. She opened the door and leaned against the frame. "This is about you and making a name for yourself. Everyone by the end of night will know that I trained you. This is also a test about me and if I have become soft from not being in the ring."

Zuko was looking at Katara, but not hearing much of what she said. He had seen Katara in sweats, shorts, tank tops, and sports bras when they would train. He had even seen Katara in her underwear that day at the mall, but all of that melted away once she opened the door.

Katara was wearing a short strapless dress, ending mid-thigh on her legs that seemed to go on forever. Her legs look longer due to her black 3-inch heels. The dress had black and red stripes that weaved in and out of each other. The dress clung to her curves and made her dark skin seem richer in color. Katara's chestnut hair was laying bone straight against her back. (Picture)

"Did you hear anything I just said, Zuko?" questioned Katara.

Zuko shook his head and pushed off the wall. "Lets get going, I don't want to be late to my first match."

"Only if we use your car. I don't want those dumb asses messing or drooling on my car," stated Katara as she followed Zuko down the stairs. Thank heaven that Sokka was with Suki this weekend. He mentioned something about a vacation to a beach house, but Katara didn't really care. Kana was spending the weekend with an old high school classmate, who was new to the area. That meant that no one would be here to see Zuko and her leave together or to see her get home late.

The ride was filled silence. Katara was in deep thoughts about the past two weeks. After Zuko comforted Katara that day, they both went back to school. Sokka felt like shit about not noticing and proceeded to apologize repeatedly. Katara had managed to skip out on Suki's beach house party, which was not all bad to Katara. She spent the time running the streets and woods, then slipping into the gym for some punching bags. School was boring, nothing worth repeating besides Weapons class. The competition of sword fighting came down to Jet and Sokka in the final round. Katara lost the duel to Kuzan, who was a much better at handling swords then herself.

However, the thing that was weighing on Katara's mind the most was how Zuko and she acted towards each other. Ever since that day, they acted like nothing happen. Sure, there were these looks that they would steal from each other, but nothing was said. Katara was still trying to figure Zuko out for herself. From everything she read and what people and the teachers said, Zuko was a stuck up, self-centered, player. How could that person be the same one that held her close as she cried? Katara knew that she was trending on thin ice when it came to Zuko. Katara has had her heart broken once before and she was not ready for that to happen again.

Katara was brought out of her thoughts when screaming met her ears. Katara looked out of the windshield to see a group of people huddling around something. The guards were standing around, trying to decide if they should break up the fight or not. Anger flashed through Katara as she saw the events unfold.

Katara pushed the door open and slam it shut as she stormed towards the group. She shoved people away from herself as she moved deeper into the circle. Katara threw a quick and hard punch into the ribs one of the fighters and stood between them. "ENOUGH!"

Katara continued to shout and look between the two men, "What the hell are you thinking? You don't have fights here, if you want to fight then get into the ring. If you cannot follow the rules, then get the hell out of here."

Gun shots rang through the air and silence followed. The crowd broke apart to see what was going on and saw guards with guns around them. One of the older guards fired their weapon into the air, drawing the attention he wanted.

The two guards, who stood at the door and did nothing during the fight, went forward and grab each fighter, to prevent any farther incident. However, Katara was still angry and knew that more yelling was needed.

Katara pointed a finger towards one the guards and started into him, "What the hell were you doing when this broke out?"

The guard paled and stuttered with his answer, "I-I-I was just uh just-"

"You were just standing around! You are fucking paid to keep order. The only time that it counts is on fight nights! You just fucking screwed up big time," yelled Katara. She got into both of the guards faces and yelled at them all.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Katara whipped her head around to look at the fighter who she punched earlier. He was standing up now and glaring at Katara.

Katara narrowed her eyes at the man before opening her mouth, "Who the hell am I? Who the hell are you! You are nothing. You come here, you obey the rules."

One of the guards was snickering at the fighter, which pissed Katara off. The guards were the main issue here; they knew the rules and what they were suppose to do. Of all the nights to have a fight break out, it had to be tonight. Just freaking fantastic.

"What are you laughing about?" growled Katara to the guard. His face paled again before replying in a shaky voice, "They have no who they are messing with-your Dark Angel-"

"I know who I am, thank you very much! I don't a rat's ass if they know me, they shouldn't be having their own pitiful fights. They came here to watch real fights, not start a kiddy one."

"Your-your Dark Angel?" nervously asked a person in the crowd. Katara was getting fed up with this group of people. The whole point of getting out of the car was to put the guards back in their place. That stupid fight should never have started in the first place. That was one of the main reasons why they bumped up security on fight nights.

"What the hell is it to you?" hissed Katara as she glared at the faces in the crowd.

"I think everyone here as learned a valuable lesson tonight," voiced a man from behind Katara. The man was head of security and he stood between guards looking at everybody. "Guards have learned to step it up on security. Our guests have learned not to break rules and that they really should know their fighters better."

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"Most people would think that a fight before the real fight is an omen," commented Zuko as he took the tape off his hands.

"Don't tell me that you are superstitious now," joked Katara.

"I'm not, but my uncle is very superstitious," said Zuko as he ran his hands under the cold water. He winced a little when the water seeped into the open wound.

Katara noticed and walked over to Zuko. His hands were red from the warm up and there was open cut over his knuckles on his left hand. "You went too hard."

"I didn't notice," commented Zuko. This was the truth. His mind was scattered and the last thing he thought about was the pain.

Katara grabbed the roll of tape and started re-taping up his hands. Silence fell between the two; it was on of those awkward silences where you want to say something, but can't think of anything to talk about.

"We haven't gone over ring names yet," mentioned Zuko. Katara snickered and only shook her head. She was trying her best not to laugh at his comment.

"You're the first fight up tonight, so lets see how you do tonight, shall we."

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"You look absolutely stunning tonight, Ángel oscuro"

"Tigre blanco," respond Katara with a nod. She always got a kick when Matt called her that. It reminded Katara of the days when they would train and fight all day, nothing coming between the two. Matt held out his arm and Katara slid her hand into the crook of his arm. Matt led the two of them to a group of older men and slipped Dark Angel into the conservation.

Most people recognized Katara as the Dark Angel, but it had been a while since Katara attended the fights. She truly disliked sitting and watching the fight, instead of being in the fight. The older the people, the chances were high that they could identify Katara; the younger, chances were slim.

"I heard there will be a new fighter tonight," commented one of the men, who forgot to dye his bread the same color as his hair.

"That can't be right. Aro doesn't take in greenhorns this late in the year," responded the man who had been smoking one too many cigars.

"I heard the same thing. Is it possible that this greenhorn is that good?" questioned a woman who was eye candy on the arm of one of the men.

"I guess we will find out tonight if he makes the cut or not," interjected Matt.

"Do you think he will make it, Dark Angel?" asked the woman.

Katara thought for a moment before she spoke. "If he keeps his head in the fight and doesn't get distracted by the crowd, then I think he will kick some ass."

"Now isn't that a little cocky to say," sneered the woman. The man with her wore a face of shock and fear. The woman had crossed a line tonight and everybody knew it.

"I think I have every right to be since I'm his trainer."

"Ladies and gentlemen, if you will take your sets, the fights will begin shortly." came over the announcements. Everybody began to file through the doors and into the sitting. Katara ended up sitting between Matt and the man who she saw that morning when she punch her father, Iroh. Katara wondered why Iroh was here.

"First up are Iceman and the greenhorn!"

If Katara had to look away from Zuko for some reason, she would've failed miserably. The sight of him walking to the ring was something she did not want to miss. Zuko's swim trunks were hanging low on his hips, showing the v of his body off. The black shorts had a red chuck on each side of his legs. Inside of the red was a print detail, but he was too far away for Katara to see it clearly. (Picture)

Zuko entered the ring and went to hear the rules of the match with the other fighter from the official. Katara's mouth felt dry once she saw Zuko's back. Whenever they had trained, Zuko's shirt was always left on. The times Zuko took his shirt off were for circuits at the end of training. By this time, Katara would be talking to Matt or James about nothing important. This could explain why Katara had missed the tattoo that covered half of his back. The black tattoo was of a phoenix rising from a flame. (Picture)

Zuko and Iceman walked back to their corners of the ring and waited for the signal to fight. Iceman cracked a smirk, tilted his head back and roared, "I'm having fresh meat tonight!"

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The only sound in his ears was the thumping of his heart as it raced. Sweat coated his body and his hair was dripping sweat onto his face. If one didn't know any better, they would think that Zuko had just come out of the shower. However, Zuko was in the middle of a ring, which was surrounded by a roaring crowd of people. It also didn't help the fact that Zuko was currently pin under another body, a male's body.

Iceman was on top of Zuko and was continuously throwing punches at his face. Zuko's hands and arms were tried of the assault and knew he had to switch positions soon. Katara had told him that there was always a way to get out of hold, no matter what hold or the opponent. Zuko had one leg wrapped around a leg of the Iceman, but couldn't get enough force behind him to flip Iceman over. Iceman threw a punch to the side of Zuko's head and this was the opening Zuko was waiting for. Zuko shoved his arm under Iceman's arm and rolled over.

Zuko grabbed the arm and held it firm in his grip. He threw both of his legs over Iceman and pressed his knee against his throat. Now the Iceman was lying on his back with his arm being pulled up and to the side. Zuko pulled the arm tighter and pressed his knee deeper. Iceman moved his other arm out and tapped the matt three times. Zuko released the arm and stood up slowly.

The official came over, grabbed Zuko's hand, and raised it in the air. "The winner! No longer a greenhorn, but from now on is known as Black Phoenix!"

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Zuko couldn't keep still, he was pacing around in the locker room. He was so pump about winning the fight, his thoughts were scattered around the area. Adrenaline was coursing threw his veins and he was too excited to settle down.

"How does it feel to win your first fight?" questioned a voice. Zuko turned around to see Katara walking towards him. Her dress was sinfully hugging her body in all of the right places. Zuko ran up to Katara and pulled her into a bone-crushing hug. Katara was shocked at first but hugged Zuko back.

Zuko pulled back, but left his hands on Katara waist before speaking, "It feels fucking fantastic!" Katara could only laugh at this statement. Before Katara could think of something to say back, Zuko roughly kissed her. Her eyes flew open in shock as Zuko's tongue swept across her lips. His golden eyes were staring into her blue eyes, wanting, needing, begging her to let go. Katara closed her eyes and parted her lips, she was letting go.

Zuko's mouth greedily drank from Katara's. His tongue left no place untouched in Katara's mouth. Katara slid her hands up Zuko's bare chest, loving the feeling of his muscle clench under her touch. Zuko's hand gripped her hip harder as he pulled her even closer. His other hand was behind Katara's neck, tilting her head back to get more access. Hearing Katara's moan sent both into a frenzy mode. Zuko grabbed Katara's ass and lifted her up. He walked over to the wall and slammed Katara into it. Zuko slid his knee between Katara's legs and ran his hands up and down her sides. Katara was running her hands through Zuko's hair and giving small tugs.

Zuko was the first one to break the kiss; his lungs were burning from a lack of oxygen. His lips never left Katara's skin as he traveled down her neck. His nips, licks, and teeth were driving Katara crazy with lust. Katara hooked her leg around his hip and gave his hair a harder pull. Groaning, Zuko thrusts his hips up and bit down on the dark skin between her neck and shoulder. Katara moan loudly at the friction and moved her hips, trying to seek more friction. Her leg moved up more and gripped Zuko harder. This time Zuko groan in pain and tried to cover it up by sucking Katara's skin into his mouth.

"Zuko…" moaned Katara as she tried to make her brain function. Zuko hummed as he pushed his hips harder on Katara.

"We…need to…stop" mumbled Katara.

Zuko sighed and held his head in her shoulder. "Your hurt. I saw the hit, but I guess I forgot about it. The last thing you need to do is screw up anything," explained Katara.

Zuko unhooked the leg around his waist and stepped back. His eyes told him everything he needed to know about Katara. From her breathing, flush face, swollen lips, to her lusted filled eyes, she wanted this as much as he did. Nevertheless, something was holding her back, and he couldn't determined what it was. He turned to walk to the showers after saying, "Sure, whatever. Just give me a second to shower."

Katara slid down the wall as her legs collapsed beneath her. What in the hell just happen? She knew that he knew that she was lying with him. It was partly true that they should stop since he was injured, but that wasn't the main reason. Katara was not sure how to tell Zuko why she wasn't ready to have sex with him. She could see the hurt and pain in his eyes as well as hear the frustration in his voice as he left. However, if she told him the truth, would he still want to be with her? Sure, he stayed around through her breakdown. He had experience since his mother had pasted away too, so it was not anything new. Could she really open up to Zuko again? Open up deeper than before and tell him about a past that no one knew about.

"Excuse me?" voiced a man. Katara turned her head to see Iroh standing in the doorway. She stood up slowly and braced herself against the wall.

"Can I help you?"

"Yes, I'm looking Zuko," answered Iroh as he looked over Katara.

"Zuko?" Katara asked with confusion in her voice.

"Zuko's my nephew and I wanted to see how he was doing," explained Iroh. Katara was in dumbstruck moment. Of course, she knew that Zuko had an uncle, but she never put two and two together.

"He is in the shower right now. But you should know that two of the ribs on his right side are sore," Katara told Iroh as she walked toward him.

"How bad is it?" concerning lacing Iroh's voice as he asked Katara.

"From what I saw during the fight, it looks like bruised ribs," explained Katara. When Iceman landed that punch on Zuko's side, Katara thought for sure that Zuko would go down for a few seconds. However, he surprised her once again by standing his ground.

"Who are you? I mean who are you to my nephew?" questioned Iroh. He had seen Katara's appearance when he walked in and had a feeling that his nephew was responsible.

"I'm his trainer," responded Katara with a sad smile. She didn't know how to answer that question and even to his uncle's face. Were they just fighter and trainer? Or could they be something more?

"Then why, if I may ask, haven't you examined his injuries?"

"I told him to shower first because he doesn't smell the best right now," joked Katara. Iroh started laughing after hearing this. This girl had humor and seemed to have a level head.

"However, since you are here, I can leave Zuko in your hands," added Katara.

"Wait-" started Iroh.

"Like I said earlier, it isn't anything major. As long as he takes it easy for the next couple of weeks, then he should be fine. That means no sports, fighting, or anything that will cause extra movement or stretching of the ribcage," explained Katara. Iroh nodded, hearing the information and knowing that it was correct. He was beginning to wonder how Katara knew how to treat injuries. Then again, she has been fighting for years, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that she knows her way around the human body.

Katara waved to Iroh was she walked out the locker room. Katara's finger touched her lips and found him swollen and warm. Even if they went home their separate ways, Katara still knew at the end of the day one fact. Zuko was one hell of a kisser and knew his way around her body.

* * *

Ángel oscuro: Dark Angel

Tigre blanco: White Tiger

*I want to thank everyone who has reviewed this story.

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	23. Chapter 19: Zuko, Matt, James

*I do not own any of Avatar characters (besides Matthew, James, and Lee) or the show Avatar the Last Airbender: because if I did, Katara and Zuko would have been together.

*Pictures of any cars, tattoos, or dresses can be found at photo bucket under Waterrockz

* * *

Previously:

"Like I said earlier, it isn't anything major. As long as he takes it easy for the next couple of weeks, then he should be fine. That means no sports, fighting, or anything that will cause extra movement or stretching of the ribcage," explained Katara. Iroh nodded, hearing the information and knowing that it was correct. He was beginning to wonder how Katara knew how to treat injuries. Then again, she has been fighting for years, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that she knows her way around the human body.

Katara waved to Iroh was she walked out the locker room. Katara's fingers touched her lips and found them swollen and warm. Even if they went home their separate ways, Katara still knew at the end of the day one fact. Zuko was one hell of a kisser and knew his way around her body.

* * *

Now:

"I can't believe I'm doing this," muttered Suki under her breath. Two girls were sitting in a car, waiting for Suki to get out. Suki's leg was bouncing uncontrollably as her fingers drummed against the steering wheel. "How did you even know about this place?"

"I know people," shrugged Katara.

"I don't even know why I'm here. Maybe we should just go…" questioned Suki. Fear was dripping from her body as they sat in front of the building.

"You know what you want and where you want it, so I don't see the problem," huffed Katara. Her head was leaning against the window as she stared out towards the park. There was only one park in the city where families would go; the other park was across town filled with junkies. You went to West Field when you wanted to get your fix or a bad quickie in the bushes. East Field was the place where moms and dads took their kids after school or on the weekends.

Katara could see a young couple pushing their toddler on the swing. The little boy was all smiles, without a worry in the world. Children should have innocent and fulfilled childhoods, growing up in a loving and warm environment. Katara knew all to well what happen to kids who were raised with no love or joy.

"Are you even listening to me?" barked Suki as she poked Katara's shoulder. "I was saying that the problem is what if ten years down the road I hate it or I gain weight. How can I stand to look at it when it's a blob on my side?"

"Suki you need to freakin calm down," spoke Katara. "You've already been through all of this. So what if tens years down the road you don't like it, that's when you can get it removed. Sure it's painful, even more than getting the tattoo, but that's a choice you get to make. You chose your side for the tattoo because of all the goddamn reasons in your notebook. You also know the consequences of getting the tattoo there, so I don't see the big problem. You know what you want, where you want it, how big you want it, and you know the pros and cons of tattoos. I really don't see where there is a problem."

Suki got really quiet and stared at Katara. Katara had changed her…attitude…mood…towards people after that one weekend. Suki had no idea what happen, but something went down and since then, Katara has acted differently.

"You act like you given this speech before," joked Suki, trying to lighten the mood in the car.

Katara only smiled as she opened the door. "Of course, it was given to me."

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"God, I didn't realize how painful it was going to be," groaned Suki. She was lying in the chair on her side, staring at Katara. Suki had heard from people that tattoos were going to be painful, but she never realized how bad it was. She was going on day three on lying on her side and enduring the pain. Suki was almost tempted after the first day to never come back and just leave the outline on her body. However, Katara was always there to tell her to suck it up and finish the tattoo. Her mood towards Suki had lightened and she was always by Suki's side. Even though Suki never ask her to, Katara stayed the night and helped her. Katara would snap at Suki to go back to bed and she would take care of it (since Suki's parents are out of town).

"That's why most people go with smaller tattoos for their first," mumbled Katara as she flipped through her AP Government textbook. Federalism was such a boring chapter for Katara. However, since they had a test over the chapter tomorrow, Katara was actually reading it this time.

"You never told me where you got your tattoo," stated Suki. She stilled remembered their conversation from day one and she was not going to let Katara off that easily.

"Not going to happen," mocked Katara.

"That is so not fair, Katara," whined Suki. "It can't be that bad. I mean you aren't the whole butterfly or hearts girl. You get to see mine and it is only fair I get to see yours."

"You're all done, Aiko!" exclaimed Lee, the tattoo artist. Suki turned to get up and walked to the mirror. Katara followed behind Suki after nodding to Lee. Suki let out a small gasp as her eyes glazed over the tattoo. On her right side, two large pink-purplish flowers sat stair-stepped from each other. The center of the flowers was a burnt orange color and turned into a pink-purplish color. There dark green stems cross each other and curled upward. Leaves were spread out on the stems, some curving upwards and some curving to the side. The bottom of the stems rested a little below her hip and the top flower sat parallel to her breast. The tattoo had turned out better than what Suki had hoped for ( on photobucket).

"Do you like your ink, Aiko?" asked Lee as he walked towards the two girls.

Suki could only nod her head slowly; her mind was still trying to process the tattoo. "It is fantastic! I love the colors, you picked them out perfectly."

"She still hasn't realized her nickname," chuckled Lee as he moved towards Katara.

Katara rolled her eyes and only shrugged back, "What can you expect from a girl who got her first ink."

Lee was now standing two feet away from Katara and wore a sad smile. "I missed you, Kitty Kat."

"I know Lee," spoke Katara.

"You left right after the…that day, so I never got the chance to talk to you," mumbled Lee. Katara looked at Lee for the first time since the girls had come here. She knew that Lee had started working over in the states, and fortunately, the cities were close to each other. Katara called Lee up a couple of weeks ago to see if he would tattoo Suki. She hadn't really thought, at the time, that she would have to see him face to face. Katara knew that feelings were going to be dragged up once again as soon as she saw his eyes. She did miss Lee; she missed all of the times they spent together in Japan.

"How do you guys know each other?" asked Suki, breaking the silence that had filled the room. Katara quickly looked at Suki and rubbed the back of her head.

"Just someone I knew from Japan." "We were engaged."

Lee and Katara looked at each other, one with confusion and one with dread. Suki was watching the two and shrugged her shoulders. "Sure…look can we wrap this up so I can get home."

"That was interesting," commented Suki as she got out of the car. Katara was silent as she got out of the car and walked up to the house. For the past three days, this is where Katara called home. She was ready to sleep in her own bed and see Matt…well maybe James.

"Are you seriously not going to talk about Lee?" demanded Suki as she sat down at the counter, watching Katara move around the kitchen.

"I already told you that Lee is just a friend from Japan," replied Katara as she grabbed the peanut butter from the shelf. "There isn't much so talk about."

Suki snorted loudly and hissed from the pain of her tattoo. She shook her head and smirked, "Ok, so the whole part when he said you guys were engaged meant nothing, then?"

"What has Sokka told you about our life before we moved to America?" Katara asked. She just wanted to make Suki her sandwich so she would stop talking and asking questions. Maybe taking Suki to see Lee was a bad idea.

"Sokka and you were born in Japan and moved here when you guys were 8 and 7 years old. When I brought your mom up, he said she pasted away in an accident and you guys left soon after that," mumbled Suki. She remembered the conversation she had with Sokka like it was yesterday.

_Sokka always comes over to my house, we never go over to his. He makes an excuse every time I mention we should hang out at his house. If that isn't bad enough, he never talks about his past. Sure, we talk about high school, middle school, old boyfriends and girlfriends, but we don't ever talk about his childhood. I know that Sokka lived in Japan, but that's all I know. Even Yue knows more about Sokka's past then I do._

"_What are you thinking about babe?" asked a deep voice from below her. Looking down, I found two navy blue eyes staring up at me. The person, who is causing all of this mess of emotions in me, is laying next to me on my bed. _

"_It's nothing," I responded. I don't know if I should tell Sokka how I'm feeling. Sure, we have been dating for a year, but I don't want him to think I'm too clingy. Maybe if I throw my puppy dog eyes at him when I ask him, maybe he won't get too mad at me._

"_You're lying. Come on babe, tell me what is wrong," prodded Sokka. God, how can he see right through me? Am I that easy to read? Stop it, Suki! You need to focus so he can't guess what you're thinking._

_I take a breath before I start talking, hoping it will calm me down, "Sokka, you know everything about me; my favorite food, what I love to sing in the morning, and how I hate our English teacher." Just tell him, Suki!_

"_And?" _

"_I want to know you…well your childhood," I explain in a whisper, hoping he will understand. _

"_You know that I live with-" Sokka started, but I had to cut him off. _

"_I already know that, I meant when you lived in Japan," There, I had said it and now the ball is in his court. Sokka got really quiet and I can see him closing up. He rolls off the bed and goes to stand by the window. He does this every time I try to talk about Japan; he closes himself off._

"_Baby, I just want something. You haven't even told me that you use to live in Japan. I learned that from Yue," I plead. I just want to know him more…more than Yue._

"_What did Yue tell you?" snap Sokka. His eyes are hard and full of fear and hate. Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned Yue at all, but I guess it is too late for that._

"_I-I overheard Yue talking on her cell to someone. She said that Sokka should take Japanese as a foreign language, instead of Spanish. I went up and asked her how come…she said it only made sense since you lived in Japan, before here."_

_He only turned away from me and glared out the window. Great, this is how we are going to break up…wait, oh my god! I don't want to break up with him. Why couldn't I just keep my mouth shut!_

"_I never told you because it is hard to talk about," spoke Sokka in a quiet voice. At least he is talking now; this has to be an improvement._

"_But you can tell Yue about it," I sneer. Oh crap, what am I doing! He is opening up and now I'm letting jealously take over._

_Sokka looks like he is in pain. There must be a huge conflict in him, but is it that big to cause him this much pain. Maybe I shouldn't have brought it up at all. "Fuck it." Sokka sighs. That cannot be good; he doesn't ever drop the F-bomb. "That's because Yue was in my second grade class when my family first moved from Japan. She helped me overcome my issues and got me to feel emotions again. We had a really bad accident happen before me moved and it was still with me when I came over. I was only eight at the time."_

"_What was the accident?" I push. I feel better now that I know that Yue was more of a security blanket than an actual girlfriend. However, deep down, I knew that they had a real relationship. However, if Sokka and Yue never went out, then I don't think that I would've met the same Sokka that I fell in love with. Maybe Yue isn't that bad of a person…maybe she actually meant well with Sokka._

"_My mom died shortly before we moved from Japan," Sokka struggled to say. "I was only eight when she died." Oh my god…I did not expect that one. I walk up to Sokka and wrap my arms around him. Why did I make him bring this up, again?_

"_I'm sorry, baby. I understand now why you don't want to talk about," I whisper to him._

"Are you even listening?" asked a voice. Suki was brought out of her flashback to see Katara standing in front of her. Katara's bag was hanging over her shoulder as she looked at Suki.

"I said tonight you need to remove the bandage and use warm water with Provon to clean the tattoo. Dry with a clean towel, pat; don't rub. Then put the ointment, that is on the counter on the tattoo and wait a bit to see if there are any bubbles. If there are bubbles, then wipe it off and reply again. Don't bandage it again," explained Katara.

"Wait! Can I-" started Suki.

"I left a note by the stove with everything you need. See you at school," Katara spoke as she walked towards the door. "It's all in there, so don't worry about it."

"That's it then," replied Suki. Katara turned around and looked at her. After shrugging her shoulders, she walked out the door and back into her own dark world.

"Mind if I join you?" asked a voice from behind Katara. Looking back she saw Matt standing there; water fresh on his body and his jeans low on his hips. His hair was sleek with water and hung down instead of his normal messy, spiked up hair. Well, that is what he called it anyways. Matt had just finished taking a shower in the locker room.

"Since when do you ask?" joked Katara. She turned her head back towards the view. The roof was her escape from her escape. Katara turned to fighting to escape the idiotic world and she turned to the roof to escape fighting. Matt sat down next to Katara, with a knee up and the other leg bent.

The sun was hanging low in the sky, turning the blue into pinks and oranges. The warehouse sat in the middle of the forest, but you could see the sunset from this one part of the roof, where the trees were thin. Katara was desperately trying to soak up the tranquility, knowing that once she left here chaos will come back.

"Black Phoenix hasn't been around lately," stated Matt, breaking the silence. Katara only shrugged her shoulders and stared at the sun. "Also heard that you've been spending more time here." No response from Katara. "During school time, to be more precise."

"Are you just going to sit there and lecture me, Matt?" snapped Katara. Who the hell did Matt think he was to lecture her?

"You can't be cutting school and ditching classes…" Everything said began to fade to Katara. The voice in her mind was becoming louder and all other noises drowned out. All of the anger and pain was meeting the breaking point. Her anger at Zuko, Gran-Gran, and everyone at school. The pain from Zuko's behavior and her past. Katara was at her breaking point with people; she just wanted people to mind their own business. Sokka always bugging her about her feelings; Gran-Gran hassling her about cutting school; Suki asking about Lee; Toph and Yue chatting her ear off; and…Zuko ignoring her.

Matt grabbed Katara's arm roughly and tightly. "You can at least pay attention when I am trying to help you, god damn it!" He pulled on her arm hard enough to make her lose balance and leave a deep red mark.

Katara's other hand clenched and shot out towards his chest. Her hand was stinging with pain as Matt hunched forward. Katara got to her feet first, but Matt quickly followed her. Standing up now, the two were staring each other down before Katara opened her mouth. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Me? What are you doing!" sneered Matt.

"I didn't come here to get a fucking life talk from you! I wanted to get away from the fucking mess I call my life. What gives you the right to lecture me? Why do you give a damn?" yelled Katara.

"You are a selfish bitch!" snapped Matt. His eyes were full of pain and hatred as he glared into Katara's icy ones.

Katara stepped forward and shoved Matt backwards. "What?" she hissed.

"You think that you are all alone in this world. So what, you've had a crappy life. You lost your mom and got into a dangerous life style. So what! Take a look around Katara, people know a little bit of what you are going through! There are people who have had a worse life than yours and you wouldn't even acknowledge it. You are too busy wrapped up in your self-pity. You don't even see the people who try to help you and love you!"

Katara stood there with shock on her face. Matt had never yelled at her like this before.

"What?" breathed Katara in a soften voice. Confusion and shock were coursing through her veins right now. They never fought…sure, they would have those silly little fights, but never like this. Never to the point where they throw punches or leave bruises.

"God damn it Katara! It should not be this hard for you to understand! I love you!" hollered Matt. He glared at Katara as he brushed past her and walked to the door. The sound of the door slamming shut did not register with Katara. She could only replay the words said to her in her head.

…nothing was computing in her mind. She couldn't make sense of any of it. First it all started off with the lecture about ditching school and ended with Matt saying that he was in love with her. The problems she was running from today seemed distant now after this fight.

All About Us by T.A.T.U. came blearing from Katara's phone, bringing her back down to earth. Without looking at the number, she answered the phone with a shaky hello.

"Hey! Where are you? We are all at Jasmine Dragon," spoke Aang over the phone.

"What?" asked Katara. Her mind was not registering things correctly now. Everything seemed to be jumbled around and fuzzy.

"Everyone is hanging out at Jasmine Dragon today, well not quite everyone. Suki is trying to get ideas for her party this weekend from us. Hurry up and get down here," explained Aang excitedly.

"Uh…sure. I need to go home first, and then I'll head over," decided Katara. If her mind wasn't in chaos, then she would have said no and made up an excuse. However, nothing seemed clear to Katara at that moment.

"If you aren't at home, then where are you?" questioned Aang as he sat down next to Sokka. Zuko, Kuzan, Jet, and Sokka were sitting at one table playing Pai Sho. Suki and Mai were hanging on different chairs; Suki by Sokka and Mai by Kuzan and Zuko.

"I'm at the…on a roof right now," stumbled Katara. She had almost said that she was at the ring and dealing with a guy who just confessed his love to her. Yep, her mind was gone if she was able to make that slip up.

"You're on a roof?" Aang asked confusedly. He knew that Katara was going to tell him the truth and then at the last moment she changed her mind.

"Who are you talking to, dude?" asked Jet.

'Katara' mouthed Aang as he tried to listen to Katara at the same time.

"Yeah, so I need a few minutes to get down, get home, then head over. Hopefully Matt will be gone," responded Katara.

"Matt? Who is Matt and why do you hope he is gone?" asked Aang. Sokka's head popped up with interest. He remembered the name Matt, but he just could not place the name with a face. Little did he know that Zuko was always paying close attention to the phone call too.

"He just…" began Katara before a voice cut her off.

"Gees, what did you guys talk about? I don't think I have ever seen him that pissed off," laughed James. Oh crap, what is James doing up here?

"Who was that Katara? And how did he get on the roof too?" Aang asked curiously.

"No one. I'll be there soon…well eventually," responded Katara. She hung up the phone and turned to see James leaning against the door. Maybe this won't be too bad…James had helped her out before.

"Are you really going to leave me hanging?" joked James. He wasn't lying when he said that he had never seen Matt this angry before. And that angry at Katara to boot…something major was up.

"Matt said he loved me," spoke Katara. Her voice was shaky as she spoke. Katara was still trying to get her mind to wake up from the fog in her head.

"And you are just now figuring this out," James said with an eyebrow raised. Katara was startled and looked into his eyes. Her mind seemed to drive deeper into the fog with that one sentence.

"Please Katara. Can you really stand there and say that you had no idea? The way his eyes train on you and how he is willing to do anything for you. The boy would follow you to the end of the world," spoke James.

"How did I miss this?" whispered Katara. Her world was rocking, nothing stable in sight. Zuko, Lee, and now Matt…chaos was the only way to describe her life now. Katara failed to notice James as he walked towards her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Come on, I know a great little place we can go and grab something to eat," said James with a grin.

00000000000000000000000000

"Where are we going?" asked Katara as they rounded another block. She pulled the collar of her coat closer as the breeze picked up. Fall was coming late this year. Usually the leaves would have changed color by mid-September. However, it was now early October and the leaves were still green. The only sign of fall now was the cold wind that would sweep through the town.

"It wouldn't be a surprise if I told you then," laughed James. "Plus we're here already. Now I'm going to buy you a big fat hamburger." Katara started laughing; remembering the time Matt, James, and she had a food fight with hamburgers. The restaurant had band the three since the food fight continued throughout the entire restaurant. It all started when Katara took a bite out of her hamburger and ketchup landed on James' face. Then all hell broke loose between the three fighters.

The two fighters walked through the door, without noticing the sign. Katara was still laughing and James wore a huge grin on his face.

"Katara?" a voice called. Katara turned her attention towards the sound and lost her breath. Turns out, James like the Jasmine Dragon…and it happen to be the place where everyone else was hanging. Great; her mind couldn't take much more and now she had one pair of glaring eyes and six pairs curiously watching her.

* * *

*I want to thank everyone who has reviewed this story.

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	24. FAQ 2

FAQ 2

I just don't have time to respond back to each and every question from everyone, and I am sorry for that. I think that it will be easier for me and clear up questions that probably a lot of people have, if I just do a FAQ again.

"Also in the beginning of the story they were supposed to have tryouts for the sports. Did they already do that?" I completely forgot to mention in one of the chapters about the tryouts and which team got cut. Thank you **Rika-chan24** for bringing that to my attention. I will make sure to add it to the next chapter or the one after that.

"You have brought up Katara's ex a few times in passing, is he going to come back?" I haven't decided if I want Katara's ex to make appearance or not. I will bring out details later on, but not sure if I want to add another character. Hope that answers your question **Precious Thing**.

"Is Azula going to be a good person or is it all an act?" Azula…that has been a favorite one for awhile now. I have decided that I want Azula's character to be, and that everyone gets to wait and see if she goes bad or good.

"When are you going to post a pic of Katara's tat?" I will be posting a picture of Katara's tattoo or tattoos ;D

"Does Aiko have anything to do the story?" Suki's nickname given by Lee in the last chapter isn't really important, I just threw it in there. Aiko means "Beloved one" and no, Lee has not hitting on her.

"Katara was engaged?" I will bring up the whole engagement to Lee later on, but basically, it was two little kids who said that they were going to be married when they grow up.

"What went down between Matt and Katara, when they were on the roof?" I thought it was pretty obvious, but maybe not. Matt was acting like a dad to Katara and Katara was at her limit with her emotions and snapped. Well, Matt snapped back because he has feelings for her and Katara has been blind to them.

"Do you have a beta?" Nope, I do not have a beta.

"Is there a playlist you listen to while writing?" It depends on the chapter that I am writing, but I do have one set list that I listen to. The songs that appear in the story are from that playlist.

"I keep seeing the word picture in (), where can I see them?" Go to and look under waterrockz. I have a whole album that belongs to Fighter.

"You are the slowest person to update I swear!" I will make you list: College, volleyball, horses, boyfriend, friends, paintball on Friday afternoons, family…it's called life and I am sorry for putting those things above Fighter.

"Have you ever thought about reposting this story with Twilight characters?" Actually I have and I just don't think it would be the same. Would more people read it and review, probably. Would the plot change, oh yes it would! Let me finish this one before I even think about making Twilight work.

"Are you going to finish Double Bender?" I have no plans to really continue with that story. Looking at it, there are so much errors and I just don't think that it is good quality. When I finish Fighter and Forbidden Love, I might go to Double Bender.


	25. Chapter 20: A Halloween Party to Remeber

*I do not own any of Avatar characters or the show Avatar the Last Airbender

*Pictures (Costumes) can be found at photobucket under Waterrockz

* * *

Previously:

"It wouldn't be a surprise if I told you then," laughed James. "Plus we're here already. Now I'm going to buy you a big fat hamburger." Katara started laughing; remembering the time Matt, James, and she had a food fight with hamburgers. The restaurant had band the three since the food fight continued throughout the entire restaurant. It all started when Katara took a bite out of her hamburger and ketchup landed on James' face. Then all hell broke loose between the three fighters.

The two fighters walked through the door, without noticing the sign. Katara was still laughing and James wore a huge grin on his face.

"Katara?" a voice called. Katara turned her attention towards the sound and lost her breath. Turns out, James like the Jasmine Dragon…and it happen to be the place where everyone else was hanging. Great; her mind couldn't take much more and now she had one pair of glaring eyes and six pairs curiously watching her.

* * *

Now:

"Hey guys, what's up?" waved Katara as she walked towards the group. What else could she have done, they already saw her and she was suppose to meet them here.

"Hey! We were wondering when you were going to get here," said Aang.

"Yeah, so who is your friend?" asked Jet as he eyed up James. Katara looked back at James and back to the group, debating whether to tell them the truth. What the hell was she just thinking…why in the hell would she tell them that James was an under ground fighter!

"James. He's an old friend," explained Katara.

"I've never heard of him," stated Suki as she cocked her head to the side. Katara raised her eyebrows and looked at Suki and Sokka. Since when did Suki know about their lives?

"I'm sorry. When did you become an expert in my life?" Katara asked sarcastically. James stared at Katara with a smile on his face. That was the Katara he knew; confidence laced with sarcasm with a hint of bitchy.

"Since you stayed with me for like a week when I got my tattoo," retorted Suki. Heads whipped towards Suki and eyes grew wide.

"You got a tattoo!" hollered Sokka as he stood up from his chair.

"Yeah. What's the big deal?" asked Suki with a hand on her hip. Just three weeks earlier Sokka was talking about how hot ink was on a girl.

"You didn't even tell me! And ink isn't for everyone—I mean we didn't talk about it—" stuttered Sokka, knowing that he was saying all of the wrong things.

"I was going to show it to you tonight and Katara has one, so I don't see the—" hissed Suki through her teeth. She couldn't understand why Sokka was making much a big deal about this. His own damn sister had a tattoo!

"Katara has a tattoo!" roared Sokka. He spun towards Katara with wide and angry eyes. Little did Sokka know that they had a much bigger audience then just their group of friends now.

"Could you keep your voice down? Everyone is staring now," stated Katara flatly. Looking around, Sokka could see heads turn away from them. He had no idea that he had been that loud in the first place.

"We can talk about this later, Sokka. James and I came to get some food, so can we eat now," preached Katara as she pulled a chair out. Sokka just shook his head and sat back down in his chair. James quietly pulled up a chair next to Katara while looking at everyone at the table. Towards the end of the table, he noticed the Black Phoenix and raised an eyebrow. He knew that Katara was training him, but he didn't realize that they were in the same circle of friends.

"I've seen you before," stated Kuzan as he stared at James. He remembered him all right and had always been thinking about him since the day that he picked up Katara at the park. Her smile to him wasn't anything like the smile she would give to Kuzan.

James turned his attention to Kuzan before sizing him up. He was thinking about where he could have seen this person before…oh, the day he went to the park to fetch Katara. "You were some guy at the park, right?"

"Yeah, you picked Katara up after our soccer game," responded Kuzan. An awkward silence was filling around the group. Everyone was either wrapped up in their own mind or they were playing Pai Sho in quiet (Aang and Jet).

"So Halloween is coming up, any plans?" asked Suki, finally breaking the silence in the group. Shrugs and eyes rolling went around the group.

"We're having a party. You guys can come if you want," piped in James. He dipped the french fry into the ketchup and shoved it in his mouth.

Katara snapped her head towards James with an Are-You-Crazy look on her face.

"I love a good Halloween party! Who is we?" Mai excitedly asked with a bright smile on her face.

"Well usually the party—OUCH! Son of a bitch!" hollered James as he grabbed his leg. His shin was hurting like hell now that Katara had kicked it hard. Damn, he forgot how hard her foot was.

"Katara when you play footise with someone you are to be gentle," sarcastically added Suki as she winked at Katara.

"What! I wasn't—" choked Katara before Mai cut her off and started talking to James.

"So what about this party?" snapped Mai. She was always up for a good Halloween party, especially if she didn't have to throw it. Plus if Zuko or Kuzan were interested, then she needed to get the down low.

"It isn't that good of a party. Terrible costumes and cheesy decorations. I have seen three-years olds scared of a lot worse than one those parties," Katara said before eating a fry. Why would James bring up the party on front of everyone?

"You really don't want them to come, do you?" asked James as he shook his head and ate another fry.

"It's not that I don't want them be there, it is the fact on where it is, that bothers me," Katara said as she rolled her eyes and drummed her fingers on the table.

"You have never complained about it before," retorted James to Katara.

"That's because I don't have a problem with it."

"Then why would they have a problem with it?"

"I can't believe you are this dense," muttered Katara under her breath. "Think about where the party is and who goes to it."

"I don't see—" started James before Katara cut in.

"Don't say thing anything, just think about it," hissed Katara. How dense could James get?

"Well if you just told all of us where it is, then we could make the decision to go or not," spoke Mai.

"Why are you so interested in the party anyway?" asked Katara.

"Why are you so against us going there then?" questioned Jet. "It's not like your living a double life or anything."

Jet, Suki, and Aang laughed at the joke and were completely unaware of the silence coming from the rest of the group. Without even knowing it, Jet had gotten it right. Katara didn't want any of these people to exposed to her life. Sure she let Zuko in, but look where that got her. Mai knew from Azula about her life, the bitch hated her. Sokka got to see his first fight a while ago and he seemed to be more distance than normal. Toph…that was an entirely different story in itself.

You knew what, I'm already going to hell. I might as well do it right, thought Katara. Katara grabbed a pen and napkin from the table and started writing on it.

"Lyrics coming to you there Kat," probed James as he kept eating the fries off the plate.

"Dude! Those are my fries, why don't you get your own!" snapped Aang. "You have been eating off my plate the entire time."

"Better than paying to get my own when I can just eat off yours," laughed James. He tossed up the fry in the air and caught it with his mouth. Smiling at Aang, he chewed the fry.

"You write songs? That is so cool! Why didn't you ever say anything?" Suki asked excitedly.

"Because it never came up and it isn't like we are best friends," explained Katara. "And it isn't lyrics, it is an address and time."

Katara slid the napkin over to Mai and said, "Here is the where and when for the party. I have a friend that has a crap load of costumes, so not everyone has to go out and buy them."

"My kind of costumes?" questioned Mai with a smirk.

Katara answered with matching smirk and snickered, "Yes your kind of costumes. However, there are some more…conservative ones too for the other girls."

"Sweet! Isn't this great Sokka! We finally have plans for Halloween," said Suki as she bounced over to Sokka and gave him a hug.

"The only catch about the party is the costumes. You have to show up with another person and you have to be wearing matching costumes. Now they don't have to be the exact same, but they have to have the same theme," explained James.

* * *

"Holey shit! This is a ton of costumes! You could open up your own store with this amount," commented Jun. by a ton of costumes, Jun really meant it. A whole room was dedicated to the costumes, and it wasn't a small room either.

"Why do you have so many of them?" questioned Azula as she went through the first row of costumes.

"My fiancée and I love role playing," responded Ming with a lazy smile. Ming stood at 5 foot even with a body to die for. Her dark brown hair was covered with a blonde bob cut wig. Behind those crimson contacts, were brown eyes that Katara could read easily. Ming was engaged to a local fighter and always had a costume that would fit anyone. Katara went to Ming for everything dealing with Halloween.

"Eww! I don't want to—" cringed Jin before she got cut off by Katara.

"She is just playing with you. Ming, here, has a costume for any and every girl."

Three and half hours later, they were arriving at the club. Katara smirked to herself as they walked to the entrance. She called in a favor with the big boys to have the party at a club that Jee owned. Jee own several clubs and restraunts throughout the state, but more importantly, Jee was one of the bloodlines that funded and profited from the fighting.

Katara was also glad that she had driven to the club by herself; she didn't know if she could handle anyone else. Mai, Tylee, and Jun rode with Azula, while Jin had Smellerbee and Song. Suki's car was the last to pull in; something about Toph and Yue having a catfight in back, but Katara really wasn't paying attention.

Getting into the club wasn't going to be a problem, trying to find the guys was going to be. Several minutes passed until Suki yelled, "Found them!" She took off in their direction and the others followed in her path. Suki's chestnut brown hair was pulled back into a bun and her tattoo was on display in the Princess Lieha costume. The white shirt stopped at the bottom of her breasts and covered only her left arm. The white pants sat low on her hips, where the utility belt was. Suki had managed to jog with the white high-heeled boots over to Sokka. Sokka, of course, was rocking the Han Solo gear; being the Star Wars nerd he was. Katara knew that Sokka wasn't a fan of Star Wars; he just wanted to see his girlfriend in that costume.

Katara could see Tylee bounce over to Haru, who was looking out of place with the matching cowboy hat, coat, and boots. Tylee was wearing a black sexy cowgirl dress; complete with a hat, rope, and black knee-high boots. Yue walked past the country couple over to Hahn, her curled pigtails swaying with each step. Her black and white striped shirt had a deep neckline and showed off the girls. The black pencil skirt hugged her from waist to knees. Fishnet stockings, a black fedora, motorcycle gloves, and white heels finished the costume. Hahn was wearing a white shirt that looked painted on with a black pinstriped vest over it. He also wore a black fedora, that matched Yue's.

Jun smiled to Katara before she walked over to her own personal prison guard. Officer Chan was dressed to the T with a prison guard outfit, even sporting a pair of handcuffs hanging off his belt loop. Jun was wearing a black shiny, cop hat with her raven hair was down in loose curls. The black dress had several buttons open and its own garter belt, which was attached to fishneting. The black tie, officer's belt, gloves, and black military boots made the costume all the sexier.

Jin's red stilettos made a clicking sound as she went over to Teo. The black and yellow rubber costume caught every spic of light, making it shine. The firefighter jacket was a few sizes too small and clung to every curve. Her pants sat on her hips and ended before her knees. Teo was covered from head to toe in black; black dress shoes, black pants, a black shirt with a firefighter logo, and a black with red/yellow strips firefighter jacket.

Putting Toph in her costume had proven difficult for Katara. Toph did not like the idea of her torso being exposed for the world to see, but after some encouraging words and pushing, she warmed up to the idea. Toph's yellow bangs were now red and her hair lay straight. She wore a blue long-sleeved top that ended below her breasts, which had a superman logo on it. Her red skirt frilled out around her thighs and had a gold band around the top. The red boots and matching cape topped off the look. Aang walked over to Toph with his mouth hanging open. He looked quite silly to Katara with his Robin costume. However, Toph didn't seem to mind, especially when she saw the mask.

Katara knew that King Kuzan was disappointed that he wasn't going with Mai, but he really couldn't look away from Azula. She wore a Queen of Hearts costume; a black dress that pushed her breasts up and ended around her thighs. The three red hearts run down the middle of the dress, while red and white followed in different patterns. To finish it off, there was a golden crown and combat boots.

Speaking of Mai, there goes the sult…really. The playboy bunny costume certainly matched her personality. The white top left nothing to the imagination since it was seer. The black bottoms, well more like underwear, were attached to suspenders. The fishnet garters topped with little black bows, white heels, white cuffs, bow tie, and bunny ears just added to her inner sult. Jet was so getting laid tonight, and everyone knew that when they saw her. His red velvet with black trim robe had the Playboy Bunny head on the back.

Smellerbee kept playing with the edge of her dress and shifting the weight between her feet. The modest cream dress had a green corset like pattern over it. Her Robin Hood hat and forest green high-heeled boots really pulled off the costume. Katara nudged her forward towards Longshot, who was dressed up as Robin Hood, the outlaw himself.

Song had changed her shoes several times before leaving the apartment. No matter what heel she had on, she would end up on her butt. Finally they settle on golden two-inched heels, which went with the Egyptian princess costume. The white strapless dress had a belt, which had a golden cloth with blue designs on it. She wore the matching headdress piece and neck plate. Song was just grateful that Prince Charming, aka Pipsqueak was big enough to catch and balance her when she would fall over.

"Are we going or what?" asked a voice. Katara turned her attention to Zuko, who was waiting for her. Usually Katara and Matt would have coordinated their costumes, but since they weren't are speaking terms, Katara was left with Zuko. Not that she minded at all, thought Katara has she looked over Zuko. The black dress shirt clung to his arms and Katara was pretty sure that you could see his abs, but the damn vest was in the way. A golden cross with a red stone in the middle, hung around his neck with blood red ribbon. What made Katara's knees weak were the white fangs and the blood trail on the side of his mouth. Zuko far was better than any sparkly Twilight vampire.

Zuko's voice caught in his throat once he saw Katara. Yes, he knew that they had to be "matching" for them to get in. Yes, he knew that Katara would be some sort of hero. Yes, he did know that she had a sinful body. But Zuko didn't know what hit him when he saw her. Her Elektra costume was definitely made for her and her delicious body. Katara's deep brown hair laid flat against her body and her blue eyes seemed to pop out from the dark makeup. Zuko wanted Katara's lips to be painted red from biting and sucking, whether than the lipstick. The blood red leather corset and pants hugged every single curve and dip of her body. Her breasts were struggling against the tight leather. She was even wearing the metal brace on her bicep and the red bans on her hands and arms.

"Matthew is going to have his hands full tonight," remarked Zuko as they walked towards the entrance. Katara cocked her head and raised an eyebrow at him.

"Why is that? We aren't even are speaking terms." Zuko just rolled his eyes and shrugged.

"Look I…" Katara started. "I know that I screwed up, but don't act like it is all my fault. I'm not going to apologize for what happen."

Zuko turned back to her and said, "Good because I'm not. You better run along now, Matthew is waiting for you."

Katara snarled her lips and walked into the club, making a list in her head.

1.) Forget about Zuko tonight since he is being an asshole

2.) Stay sober, since no one else is going to be

3.) Don't do body shots with Matt…it's going to be awkward

4.) Don't even think about going to the bathroom with these pants

* * *

Zuko slammed his fifth shot down and scanned the room. He had to admit, this wasn't too bad. He hadn't seen Katara since they walked in together; the last he saw of her was when she took off to the middle of the dance floor.

Grabbing his water, Zuko noticed Matthew heading to the dance floor. He was wearing red Everlast shorts that ended below his knees. The red cloak robe was left open so you could see his chest and abs. But what really stood at to Zuko was the girl he was with; and it wasn't Katara. The girl hanging off his arm was hot, though. She was wearing pink Everlast shorts, but hers were more like spandex shorts. The pink sports bra with the word 'Knockout' was stretch tight across her breasts. She was also wearing the matching cloak robe, but in pink.

Zuko saw Matthew stop and glare at someone on the dance floor. Following his line of sight, Zuko noticed that he was glaring at Katara. Katara was walking over to Matthew, but stop short once she saw the blonde bimbo hanging off him. Zuko's sight got block when a couple of people stumbled in front of him. No matter how hard he craned his neck, it didn't help much. Once everyone had moved away, he couldn't see Katara or Matthew anywhere.

"Liquid cocaine!" yelled Katara over the music. Zuko whipped his head to the right to see Katara standing next to him.

"What the hell is liquid cocaine?" shouted Zuko. Katara only raised two fingers to the bartender and gave a shot glass to Zuko.

Katara clank the glasses together and said, "Cheers!" Both Katara and Zuko downed their shots, throats burning from the alcohol.

"Damn! What was in that?" hissed Zuko as he put the glass down.

"Silver tequila, vodka, gin, rum, and Ever...I mean something special. You should try it when Bacardi, Jagermeister, and Rumple Minze are mixed together," laughed Katara.

"Everyone knows that there is Everclear here Katara. My turn to pick the drink," smirked Zuko as he turned to the bartender and hollered the next order.

* * *

The sound of a phone going off filled the room. It felt like someone was splitting her head open with an axe. Katara just wanted the noise to stop. Swinging her arm out towards the sound, Katara knocked the phone off the table. Groaning, Katara turned over and snuggled back into her warm bed.

She could deal with everything once she slept off this hangover. Thank god her bed was so warm, comfortable, and firm. If only she could get her pillow to stop moving up and down, then she would be prefect.

"Open up in there! I know that you are in there! Don't think that I didn't hear you come home last night," hollered a voice from behind her door. Katara most have been too tired, because she didn't recognize the voice. The door swung open and Katara's eyes open to see whom it was and what they needed.

"Uncle it's too early. Go away!" a voice hissed. Katara couldn't agree more with the person.

"uhhhhh ummmmm…I'll just let you two work this out," said the man as he shut the door.

Moments went by before the realization came to them. Two pairs of eyes shot open and they both sat up quickly. Blue eyes met gold eyes; the same emotions were mirrored in them.

"What the fuck are you doing in my bed?" yelled Katara. Only after did Zuko and Katara both wince at her volume.

"This is my room," responded Zuko with a cocked eyebrow. "So I should be asking why are you in my bed, but I think the bigger question is why aren't you wearing clothes?"

* * *

*I want to thank everyone who has reviewed this story.


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